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Hepatitis C's Movement for Awareness
Our goals are:
1. STOP THE SPREAD OF HCV (Hepatitis C) by
Public awareness campaigns explaining the many transmission
methods for this virus. The campaign should not just focus on
sex and iv drug use. The awareness campaign should include
Needle exchange programs and emphasize the importance for all
people to be tested. If we don't our grandchildren will have a
one in five chance of being infected. 200,000,000 million are
now infected.
2. Increased Funding for research and
education.
3. The Passing of the Public policy based on
presumed consent for organ transplant. There are 4,900
transplantable donor livers available. 18,500 patients are
currently on waiting lists. 100,000 adults have severe
cirrhosis. In 10 years, 600,000 will develop cirrhosis.
4. Baseline testing and yearly testing on
all high-risk work related fields. Medical and first line
responders to emergencies. 6% are now infected. Early
detection is the key to eradication of this disease.
5. Testing all Veterans, especially from the
Vietnam and post Vietnam service era. 65% of all people with
this disease are Veterans.
6. Service Connection for all Veterans with
HCV
7. Notification by the Department of Defense
to all veterans subjected to experimental testing to include
inoculations with immune serum globulin.
8. Mandatory HCV screening, treatment and
education for Prison inmates. Studies show up to 33% entering
prison are infected and then released back into society
without competent knowledge of transmission methods.
9. Social Security to declare HCV as a
presumed disability. This will include acknowledgment of extra
hepatic manifestation of this disease.
10. Education and Acknowledgment from the
medical profession (both military and civilian) for the extra
hepatic manifestations associated with HCV
11. Investigation into the
multibillion-dollar business of HCV and the deliberate
attempts to stifle competition for generic medications. This
should include the delay in the release of new and competitive
drugs.
We will march on DC June 23, 2002, to demand
these goals be fulfilled. Please Join Us, together we can make
a difference.
FACTS:
3,900,000 Americans with Hepatitis C,
2,547,070 are Veterans.
64.3% of all American with Hepatitis C Are
Veterans. 1,711,631 are Vietnam Vets.
44% of all American With Hepatitis C Are
Vietnam Vets. 20,000 Veterans, 10,000
civilians will die by 2003 because of Hepatitis C.
Veterans do not think they need to be
tested. Please don't ignore this. We can change the
future if we come together now. We need your help
Tricia Lupole
National Coordinator for
Hepatitis C's Movement for Awareness
March on DC June 23, 2002
http://www.delphi.com/march_on_dc
http://www.hcvets.com/
-view transmission methods
http://www.geocities.com/nseiff
HCV funding petition
To all people with Hepatitis C, their Family
and Friends:
My name is Tricia and I am the National
Coordinator of the Hepatitis C Movement for Awareness. We
would like to furnish details of the March we are planning
June 23, 2002. Our theme is "Hepatitis C's March on
DC."
We plan on starting the rally at 9:00 a.m.
that morning at the Capitol. We have several guest speakers
including doctors and elected officials who will present
testimony to the devastation of the number one epidemic in the
world, Hepatitis C (HCV). There are several big names that
will be speaking and providing entertainment to the five
million people we hope will attend. That number is high but it
does reflect the current infection rate and is our target
group to participate in this Awareness March.
One of our main goals is to clear up the
confusion about this disease and let everyone know how fast
HCV is spreading. HCV has become know as "the druggie
disease" and this has hampered all of us from receiving
support and the education needed to stop the spread of the
virus. These attitudes have misled the public into thinking
they are safe as long as they don't do drugs.
The truth is that over 40% of the people
infected have no clue as to how they contracted HCV.
Sporadic transmission, when the source of
infection is unknown, occurs in about 10 percent of acute
Hepatitis C cases and in >30 percent of chronic Hepatitis C
cases. These cases are also referred to as community-acquired
infections. These infections may have come from exposure to
the virus from cuts, wounds, medical injections or dental
procedures, shared toothbrushes, razors and manicure sets, to
list only a few. These methods of transmission are a real
threat to everyone. Each year new ways of transmitting this
disease are discovered. If federal funding for research had
been given as promised many people would not be infected now.
Unless we get more funding many more will be infected in the
future.
Everyone needs to be tested and this
campaign will hopefully bring that awareness and concern to
the nation to get tested. I'm sure that you heard the
predictions from the Hepatitis Global Conference held in
California last week. Over 20% of the world population will be
infected by the year 2100. That's a lot of people. We can stop
that now if we all come together and work towards that goal.
We would like to see, as a result of these
efforts, increased funding for research, education and more
government assistance for everyone with this disease. We want
Social Security and the Veterans Affairs to acknowledge the
many extra manifestation of this disease, like Chronic Fatigue
Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Diabetes, Neuropathy, mental effects
and the many other symptoms associated with HCV.
The only way we will reflect change is if we
demand it. We were all promised help and that help has not and
will not come unless we stand united. Getting to DC is going
to be hard on everyone. But if we don't do this, nothing is
going to change and our future generations will pay the price
for the neglect of the government to stop the spread of this
disease. The future holds a very bleak picture for our
children. Our children will have a 1 in 5 chance of becoming
infected in their lifetime if we don't unite now. And there is
no cure in sight. There is no real funding to find a cure.
Veterans will also be a focus because at
least 65% of all people with this disease are veterans. The
people we thank each year for our freedom have been left out
in the cold by the government. Many are suffering
significantly, only to be denied benefits because they cannot
prove how they got this disease over twenty-some years ago.
Please, please consider finding a way to
come to DC. We will soon post a web page with transportation
and accommodation information. There will be a form to sign up
providing group rates from the major cities around the
country. We are looking for contributions from all of the
foundations and supporters of HCV.
If we do not turn out, nothing is going to
change. You know that and I do too. So please do what you can
and start planning now.
We have set up a command post at
http://www.delphi.com/March_On_DC/start/
. Here you can participate in one of our committees or view
our progress and offer suggestions. This will give you an idea
of our organizational structure and our plan of attack to
accomplish our goals.
This march will represent all people with
this disease and we need help from everyone. Please join us
and help bring awareness to DC, June 23, 2002.
I hope all of you find it in your heart and
heads to realize the only way we will get help is to make this
happen and the only way we will do that is to come together
and demand it. We need everyone. Please don't leave it up to
the other guy to do this because we will all suffer if you do.
Thank you for your time and I hope to see
you in DC.
Sincerely yours,
Patricia Lupole (Tricia)
National Coordinator for
The Hepatitis C Movement for Awareness
You can contact me personally at
Rockiesnext@aol.com
You can view transmission methods for this
virus at http://www.hcvets.com/
Sign the Hepatitis C's funding petition.
http://www.geocities.com/nseiff
Note from Lloyd:
I saw no mention above about
"alternative medicine".
My personnel belief is that the above is for
good and eventually will be, but in the mean time it will be a
really big money maker for the "Drug Industry",
which in itself is not my concern, rather the lies these
people perpetrate on the public, the suffering their drug
(interferon's) bring on people, the lack of responsibility
they take for their roll in destroying people's immune
system's with interferon's and the doctors complete lack of
knowledge of natural medicine and its effects on this virus.
The awareness that needs to be in the
forefront is that you, your immune system can deal with this
virus by supplying your immune system with what it needs to
fight it.
That message needs to be received by
insurance companies, politicians and the victims of Hep C.
That is not the message we are getting from
our government or our institutions.
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