Desert AIDS Project Opens New Hepatitis Center

PALM SPRINGS, CA - Doors were open Tuesday for a new hepatitis clinic at Palm Springs' Desert AIDS Project campus, intended to address what officials say is a growing local need for testing and treatment of Hepatitis C.

The Hepatitis Center of Excellence, a collaboration between Desert AIDS Project and Desert Oasis Healthcare, will offer "non-invasive diagnostic testing and staging, improved access to curative treatments, and compassionate support for the many complex issues associated with a Hepatitis diagnosis," according to Desert AIDS Project.

Treatment and testing for Hepatitis C, an infectious liver disease that can lead to cancer, will be the main focus of the clinic.

According to Desert AIDS Project, an estimated 4,000 Coachella Valley residents currently live with chronic HCV, though further testing in the region would be needed to determine just how prevalent the disease is locally.

The Centers for Disease Control estimates up to 3.9 million people are living with chronic HCV infection in the United States.

"The number of people in the U.S. living with HCV is about triple the number living with HIV. Approximately 20 percent of D.A.P.'s HIV patients are co-infected with HCV," said David Brinkman, CEO of Desert AIDS Project.

Officials urged people to get tested, even if they don't exhibit obvious symptoms.

"If people wait until they have symptoms of HCV, it's too late," said Dr. Shubha Kerkar, director of infectious diseases at Desert Regional Medical Center. "We're now seeing patients in their sixties, seventies, and eighties with HCV, and it seems to be just the tip of the iceberg. Stage 4 Hepatitis is irreversible. We need to find people at stages zero, one, two and three."

According to the CDC, Hepatitis C can be transmitted through injection drug use, needlestick injuries in healthcare settings and birth from an HCV- infected mother. Less frequent means of transmission include sex with an HCV- infected person and sharing personal items with infected blood.

No vaccine for Hepatitis C is available, though officials say research into its development is underway.

"While the symptoms of HIV can take up to 10 years to appear, a person can have Hepatitis C for many decades without symptoms. As with HIV, the only way to know if you have Hepatitis C is to get tested," said Brinkman.

– By City News Service /Image via Shutterstock