Report: More hepatitis B and C patients are unaware of their status

The Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases are renewing their efforts to stress the importance of getting tested for hepatitis B and C, which are commonly spread through unprotected sex. This is because a recently published report by the two organizations has found a growing number of people in the U.S. who are unaware that they carry these viruses.

The symptoms of hepatitis B and C often go unnoticed, as the onset of symptoms of these sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) ranges from six weeks to six months, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). If left untreated, an infected individual becomes susceptible to liver disease or cancer, which dramatically increases their mortality rate.

Early detection of these STDs will therefore help protect sexual partners and allow those who are sick to receive therapies and counseling sooner.

Jeff Levi, executive director of TFAH, stated that "HBV and HCV are ticking time bombs, and if we don't act now, we'll be too late to spare [affected individuals] from developing serious liver diseases." He added that "health reform and new science give us a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rethink how we deal with these silent killers."

Currently, an estimated 1.2 million Americans are living with hepatitis B, and each year, approximately 43,000 new cases are diagnosed, the CDC reports.