Sox Signing Solutions, Why The World Should

Sox Signing Solutions, Why The World Should Ask 'Am I Number 12?' A New Campaign
Launches to Increase Hepatitis Awareness



Why The World Should Ask 'Am I Number 12?' A New Campaign Launches to Increase
Hepatitis Awareness

Geneva, Switzerland (PRWEB) April 29, 2008 -- The World Hepatitis Alliance
(http://www.worldhepatitisday.com/) and over 200 patient groups around the world
are asking 'Am I Number 12?' (http://www.aminumber12.org/) to increase awareness
of the shocking statistic that one in 12 people on the planet are living with
hepatitis B or hepatitis C and yet the majority of those infected are unaware.

Three weeks ahead of World Hepatitis Day (http://www.worldhepatitisday.com/) on
Monday 19 May, the World Hepatitis Alliance is launching a viral campaign aimed
at getting people talking about the fact that approximately 500 million people
globally are living with either hepatitis B or C. The World Hepatitis Alliance
is asking people to sign-up (http://www.aminumber12.org/) to show support for
the campaign but also to receive valuable information about a disease that kills
some 1.5 million people a year.

The 'Am I Number 12?' campaign has already kicked off in 64 countries and
high-profile campaigns are being coordinated from Sydney to Serbia and from
Beijing to Buenos Aires. Charles Gore, President of the World Hepatitis
Alliance, said that with 1.5 million people dying every year, chronic viral
hepatitis could no longer be ignored. "Through the 'Am I Number 12?'
campaign and activities around the world on 19 May we aim to put hepatitis B and
C firmly on the global healthcare agenda," Mr Gore said.

Mr Gore continued that unlike other disease areas, awareness of hepatitis B and
C remains inexplicably low: "We believe that, unless awareness improves, we
won't make any progress in reducing the enormous and largely preventable death
toll. Hepatitis B and hepatitis C should have the same profile as HIV/AIDS,
malaria and TB and should really be up there alongside those diseases in the
WHO's millennium goals."

Did You Know?

? 500 million people worldwide are currently infected with hepatitis B or C

? This is over 10 times the number infected with HIV/AIDS

? Between them, hepatitis B and C kill 1.5 million people a year

? One in every three people on the planet has been exposed to either or both
viruses

? Most of the 500 million infected do not know

World Hepatitis Day

World Hepatitis Day will be observed on Monday 19 May and marks a brand new,
entirely patient-led initiative. The day has been launched in response to the
concern that chronic viral hepatitis has nowhere near the level of awareness nor
the political will to tackle it that is seen in HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria. This
is despite the fact that the numbers chronically infected with, and annually
killed by, hepatitis B and C viruses are on the same scale. 'Am I Number 12?'
campaign materials are available in over 40 languages - for logo images,
postcards, posters and banner ads please contact the World Hepatitis Alliance
through Lorna Croft.

World Hepatitis Alliance