Wellington Regional Medical Center is sponsoring a free health fair with hepatitis screenings on Saturday, June 8 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“This is Hepatitis: Know it. Confront it” aims to increase awareness about the disease.
According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, an estimated 3 to 5.3 million people in the U.S. have chronic hepatitis B or chronic hepatitis C. As many as three quarters of those with hepatitis C are unaware they are infected in most cases because there are no symptoms. Screenings are imperative. Left untreated, hepatitis can lead to cirrhosis of the liver, liver cancer and death.
The CDC recommends that everyone in the U.S. born from 1945 through 1965 be tested for hepatitis C in order to increase the proportion of those who know they are infected and linked to care. The CDC also recommends other populations at increased risk for hepatitis C get tested.
In addition to free screenings and educational tables at the fair, free physician lectures are scheduled at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and noon. Guest speakers include: Mitchell N. Davis, medical director of the Hepatitis Treatment Institute of Florida.
A light lunch will be served, so reservations are encouraged. Call (561) 798-9880 to reserve a space. For lecture times and topics, visit www.wellingtonregional.com/hepatitisfair.