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Pauktuutit, Canada’s national
organization for Inuit women, is hosting a national Inuit strategic planning
session in Kuujjuaq on January 20 and 21, with a focus on the hepatitis C virus
(HCV). The session’s goal is to promote HCV awareness and prevention.
Although Nunavut and other Inuit
regions have some of the lowest HCV rates in Canada, Geri Bailey, manager of
health policy and programs for Pauktuutit, was concerned about the lack of HCV
education and felt that people needed to know what behaviors can lead to
acquiring it, how to get tested, and how to start treatment, if necessary.
The session will include panel
presentations on national aboriginal and Inuit specific initiatives, provincial
and territorial hepatitis C services, and other resources. Priorities include
prevention and promotion, research and surveillance, testing and health
services, care, treatment, and support. Members from all four of the Inuit
regions will attend the planning session.
In Canada, approximately 242,500
persons are infected with HCV, and approximately 21 percent do not know they
are infected.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
