CONNECTIONS
A Bimonthly e-Newsletter
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Director's Update

May - June 2011

Hepatitis Awareness Month takes place in May, but viral hepatitis deserves increased attention throughout the year. There is a large but often under-recognized burden of disease and death associated with viral hepatitis. Approximately 4.4 million Americans are living with chronic hepatitis, but most do not even know they are infected.

Chronic viral hepatitis can cause cirrhosis, chronic liver disease, and liver cancer. Liver cancer rates have tripled in recent decades, with at least half of all cases attributable to hepatitis C. Among Asian/Pacific Islanders (API), 1 in 12 is living with hepatitis B, and APIs account for more than 50 percent of people living with chronic hepatitis B. The incidence of liver cancer is highest among APIs and increasing among African Americans, persons 46-64 years of age, and men. Liver cancer is the third leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide and the ninth leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States.

Visit the Viral Hepatitis Web site and follow CDC's viral hepatitis Twitter account @CDChep for information about Hepatitis Awareness Month. To participate in the conversation on Twitter about hepatitis awareness, use the hashtag #HepAware.

30^th Anniversary of HIV/AIDS

Almost 30 years have passed since the first AIDS cases were reported in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. To commemorate the past 3 decades of HIV prevention efforts, CDC launched the 30 Years of HIV/AIDS online social network, a unique community that allows members to share personal stories, photos, videos, and much more from the past 30 years.

Many have been personally affected by HIV/AIDS, from receiving a diagnosis to living with HIV or AIDS to caring for a friend or family member with the disease. These personal stories speak of challenges, but they also speak of hope. We have made significant progress, but much more remains to be done.

On the community, you can connect with colleagues past and present, meet new friends, honor loved ones affected by HIV or AIDS, and remember those who died from the disease.

National HIV Testing Day

Each year, on June 27, the National Association of People with AIDS, with support from CDC, AIDS.gov, CDC's National Prevention Information Network, and other partners, leads the commemoration of National HIV Testing Day (NHTD). The theme of this annual observance is "Take the Test, Take Control," which sends a powerful message about learning one's HIV status. In preparation for this observance, the NHTD section of hivtest.cdc.gov has been redesigned to include a more prominent online map on which you can list your events. CDC, with AIDS.gov, has also launched a National Observances social network, which provides support to organizations that are planning events and other tactics related to national health observances. This community is open to all to share their experiences, best practices, media, materials, and questions. Let's make NHTD 2011 one that tops them all in terms of coordination, information sharing, and reach.