You can write
your representitives in Congress
and request more funding for Public Eduscation about Hepatis
C
What to do:
1)
Copy
the letter below,
2) Type
your zip code into the box below and click the "go"
button.
3) When
you get to the Congress.org site, Paste the contents
of the letter into your representative(s) blank e-mail
page. You may ersonalize it if you want.
4) Sign
it and send. That's all there is to it. |
As my representative you ought to know hepatitis
C has been called a "silent epidemic" by former
surgeon general Everett Koop, MD
The death rate due to complications from
this disease is expected to quadruple in the next 10 years.
Hepatitis C, a blood-borne infectious disease
of the liver, is a leading cause of cirrhosis and liver
cancer and the number-one reason for liver transplants
in the U.S. An estimated four to five million Americans
are infected with the virus, with 35,000 to 180,000 new
infections each year.
In the United States, the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention estimate that hepatitis C is responsible
for 8,000 to 10,000 deaths per year and could increase
to 38,000 by the year 2010, surpassing annual HIV/AIDS
deaths.
There is no approved cure and current treatment
has an inadequate success rate (while often causing debilitating
side effects). And, yet, government funding for public
education falls far behind that of other, less widespread
diseases, such as HIV/AIDS.
I am requesting that you investigate this
important area of public health and sponsor or co-sponsor
legislation to allocate more funds to Hepatitis C education.
Thank you for your attention and consideration
in regard to this serious matter.
Sincerely,
