Letter to Newsweek

liver411

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From:  [email protected] (Rodolfo Porro)

To:  [email protected]



Subject:  [HB] letter to newsweek

Date:  Mon, 15 Apr 2002 19:49:40 -0400 (EDT)



Hello Mr. Cowley , I was heartened to see there is some important

coverage of the hepatitis epidemic in your article in this week's

Newsweek, but I fail to see why the genome variation in the virus , in

effect , is precluding me and others like me infected with hepatitis B ,

from the same attention.We can agree that the results of virus B and

virus C are equally life threatening, indeed they share more similarities

than differences. The main difference of course, is there is a vaccine for B but that life-saving information  is being ignored . Each year

approximately 320,000 Americans are infected with Hepatitis B,  the Global epidemic stands at around 400 million and growing.A leading cause of  cirrhosis and liver cancer and now spreading rapidly to the vulnerable  HIV population.We have a health care system ill-equipped to tackle this  virus and the transplant needs of its victims,potential recipients are  forced to wait and acquire points in a liver damage scale, often approaching end-stage symptoms because of the widespread organ shortage.I beg your indulgence as I am sure you are aware of this, but I would like to belabor the point : if there is a chronic infection of Hepatitis, the end result is essentially the same for both the B and the C virus.There are scores like me, infected because they were unaware of the vaccine or of the dangers of this disease. Now, I know Hepatitis B can be acquired in a variety of ways including vertical transmission from mother to unborn child. The virus is highly infective, more so than HIV and able to survive ambient conditions for up to a week.A cut or a scratch coming in contact with infected blood is all you need . As I mentioned, the virus is now growing among the HIV community, the liver damage causing decreased options in HIV therapy. It is not to late for you to make a difference in the future  and help save lives during this crucial time by giving your attention to The Hepatitis B epidemic.



Sincerely,



Rodolfo A.Porro





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liver411

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From:  "[email protected]

To:  [email protected], [email protected]



Subject:  [HB] Re: Check out Newsweek!!

Date:  Mon, 15 Apr 2002 17:06:11 -0700 (PDT)



--- "Green, Will"  wrote:

> This is great exposure for hepatitis, but it really

> irks me that not only do

> they not make the cover story inclusive of B....



I think this is going to be an example of Newsweek not

going to be able to win for losing.  Hep B people are

upset, hep C people are upset.  Here's a letter a lady

posted in a hep C group:



Newsweek finally decided to do an article about HCV.

The cover is GREAT!! A really cool pic of the virus

itself. The story leaves alot to be desired....



I was contacted to be in this article but they decided

not to use me. THANK YOU LORD!! I would be even more

angry if I was actually IN this pack of bull.



They downplay the disease, print only "good" stories

from a couple of people and naturally Miram Alter from

the CDC is in there saying it's not transmitted via

tattoos. They go so far as to say it is now only

passed around via IV drug use.



They say several times that the blood supply is

"virtually clean and safe". We KNOW that is crappola.

They barely mention the veteran issue and found a West

Point man who is having no problems at all with his

HCV.  



In one part, where you can actually listen to the

reporter talk about risk factors and myths, they even

spell hepatitis WRONG!!  



JUST ONCE I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE MEDIA BE HONEST

ABOUT THIS DISEASE. We know the CDC is going to lie,

as they always have. I had given the reporter I spoke

with, Joan Raymond, the name of Dr. Harold Margolis,

as he is the HEAD of the Hepatitis C Division at  

the CDC but at the HFI conference in 2001 that they do

nothing about awareness due to lack of funding and

aren't planning any awareness programs either. He

actually stated to a room full of HCV patients  

that WE would have to do the awareness programs!!



Note in the article that they downplay HCV throughout

the entire thing but yet they put up a poll asking if

people are afraid of "catching" it! Why ask that if

they state HCV is not a problem except for IV drug

users??



Sorry for the big post but this really upset me when I

read it.  



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liver411

Newsweek 04-16-02