May 18, 2022 9:30 a.m.

Thursday is National Hepatitis Testing Day, which aims to raise awareness of viral hepatitis and encourage testing for people to learn their hepatitis status.

A release said the HIV Alliance, a local nonprofit that provides free hepatitis testing, is using the opportunity to focus on Oregon’s high rates of hepatitis C and death related to the virus.

Hepatitis C can cause liver cirrhosis and cancer if left untreated. Consistently between 2014 and 2018, Oregon had the third highest rate in the U.S. of mortality from hepatitis C. According to the Oregon Health Authority, roughly 5,000 Oregonians were diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C annually between 2016 and 2019. During the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, reported cases have dropped to less than 4,000 each year.

The release said the HIV Alliance warns that this may not indicate fewer cases. Rather, access to testing and healthcare broadly has been heavily impacted by the pandemic, and people may not be accessing the testing they need. Out of 850 rapid hepatis C tests provided by HIV Alliance during 2021, twenty-two percent were positive for the virus.

HIV Alliance will be providing hepatitis C rapid testing in Roseburg, Eugene, Grants Pass and Florence on Thursday. Go to: https://hivalliance.org/prevent/testing. to see the testing schedules and locations.