Hepatitis Awareness Month – May. 1, 2027

Expected Hepatitis Awareness Month Deals

Throughout Hepatitis Awareness Month, the focus shifts from commercial deals to crucial awareness and fundraising initiatives. Organizations like the Hepatitis B Foundation and the American Liver Foundation partner with corporations for donation drives, educational campaigns, and free screening events. Pharmaceutical companies such as Gilead Sciences and Merck often highlight their research and patient support programs. Look for local health clinics and community centers to offer free or low-cost hepatitis screenings and vaccinations. Many advocacy groups encourage individuals to donate to research or participate in virtual walks and runs. We will update this page with confirmed live events and campaigns as May approaches.

History of Hepatitis Awareness Month

For centuries, hepatitis was a regular thing among soldiers fighting in wars due to bad hygiene conditions. During the mid-19th century, Carl Rokitansky was the first to describe the virus. Soon after, the Civil War took place in the U.S. and many soldiers died due to the disease as well. Over a period of four years, there were around 50,000 confirmed hepatitis cases.

The 20th century saw advances in fighting diseases. It was during WWI that the link between fecal matter and the transmission of hepatitis was discovered. During WWII, Third Reich doctors used Germans as guinea pigs to prove that hepatitis could be of viral origin. At the beginning of the 1970s, the hepatitis A and B viruses were formally identified. However, years later, scientists found that blood transfusion also led to hepatitis — not A or B, but something different. They named it “non-A non-B hepatitis.” In 1989, this variation was identified and renamed hepatitis C virus (or HCV). Known to travel via the bloodstream, it could thus be transmitted by blood transfusion.

Towards the end of the 1990s, blood products were more closely monitored but more and more people were infected and the numbers were on the rise. The main cause was the sharing of contaminated needles among drug users. Since the 1990s, hepatitis C has been treated with a combination of a protein called interferon and an antiviral called ribavirin. But the cure rate is less than 50% and there are many side effects.

At the end of 2013, a new generation of treatments was developed called DAA (Direct-Acting Antiviral). But it was a minor development and very expensive. In June 2014, France and 14 other European countries launched a campaign calling on private labs to lower the price.

How Businesses Can Celebrate Hepatitis Awareness Month