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NATAP: HCV $1.6 million NYS Proposal

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Status C Unknown Lauds Governor's Funding Proposal

Medford, NY - January 22, 2008

Status C Unknown praises Governor Spitzer for including a 1.6 million dollar proposal in the executive budget for screening, testing and other services for patients with or at risk for hepatitis C. These resources are urgently needed to diminish the burden of this disease.

Shari Foster, President of Status C Unknown states: “ This funding is urgently needed to provide education, screening, testing and medical care for individuals at risk for or infected with hepatitis C. Status C applauds the Governor for putting this forward and encourages members of the legislature to support this program as the budget process moves forward.”

Status C Unknown, a New York State non-profit organization, was founded in response to the overwhelming need for public education in an effort to effectively reduce the spread of the hepatitis C virus (HVC). Status C Unknown is dedicated to dispelling the myths surrounding this disease, providing support to those infected and educating all communities with regard to risk factors and transmission prevention.

The hepatitis C infection is the most common chronic blood-borne infection in the United States. Nearly five million Americans are infected with HCV. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), conservatively estimates that over 240,000 New Yorkers are infected with HCV. Hepatitis C is the most common blood-borne infection in the United States, affecting 4 times as many people as HIV. It is the leading cause of liver failure, liver cancer, liver transplants and a leading cause of death among persons living with HIV/AIDS.

The economic impact of hepatitis C infection is already significant and is expected to increase exponentially over the coming decades. According to the CDC, all costs (medical and lost productivity) associated with acute and chronic hepatitis C exceeded $600 million nationally in 1998. Recent projections estimate that direct medical costs (not charges) in the U.S. will range from $6.5 to $13.6 billion during the period 2010-2019. Nationally, social costs during this period, including lost productivity, are projected to exceed $75 billion due to the major complications from hepatitis C.