Free Hepatitis C Test Kits Offered to US Veterans - Brief Article

AORN Journal, Oct, 2000

Free hepatitis C in-home test kits are being offered to veterans, according to a July 3, 2000, news release from the American Liver Foundation (ALF). The foundation recently formed the Veterans Council on Hepatitis C and Liver Disease, the group sponsoring this program.

Hepatitis C is a potentially life-threatening disease that is four times more likely to occur in veterans than in the general public. The virus is spread by infected blood, and numerous ways to contract the disease have been identified. Combat often brings soldiers in contact with blood. Other transmission methods include transfusion, injection of drugs, and sexual contact.

If not diagnosed, hepatitis C can lead to cirrhosis or liver cancer. In the United States, 10,000 people die of the disease annually, and it is the leading cause of liver transplantation. It is estimated that four million people nationwide have been exposed to hepatitis C.

A Veterans Health Administration study of 26,000 veterans shows that 8% to 10% of veterans within the administration's system test positive for hepatitis C. Vietnam veterans account for more than 60% of those who tested positive.

The free test kits can be obtained by visiting the web site http://www.liverfoundation.org. Veterans are not required to pay for the kit but must pay a $6 shipping and handling fee. The test results are confidential.

US Veterans to Get Free Hepatitis C Test Kits (news release, New York: American Liver Foundation, July 3, 2000) 1-3. Available from http://www.newsdesk.com/members /showdoc.htm?file=pr128641.txt. Accessed 13 July 2000.