NorWest Community Health Centres is hosting an outdoor Hepatitis C health fair and testing event.
The event Wednesday is in partnership with Elevate NWO, the Thunder Bay Drug Strategy, and Thunder Bay District Health.
“World Hepatitis Day is part of a global campaign to eliminate hepatitis by 2030, and accordingly this year’s theme is “Hepatitis can’t wait.” The theme reflects the importance of and need for efforts to eliminate hepatitis as a public health threat,” explains Director of Health Services Jennifer Lawrance. “The health fair and testing event we are hosting provides people opportunity for easy and confidential testing, as well as a chance to ask question, share concerns, and receive further education and care.”
Lawrance added: “We are offering point-of-care testing, which is a wonderful method. It can happen wherever the patient is receiving care, does not need to be processed in a lab, and it can be delivered and interpreted by medical and non-medical workers like outreach and harm reduction staff. The person being tested gets their results shortly after being tested, and so it’s a quick, accessible service that responds to the needs of people where they are.”
It is estimated that over 250,000 people in Canada are currently living with Hepatitis C.
Many who live with the infection have no symptoms for decades.
If Hepatitis C goes untreated, it can lead to serious health complications such as liver cancer, liver disease, liver failure, and cirrhosis.
