CLEARFIELD – A free screening for Hepatitis C, provided by the Clearfield County Area Agency on Aging Inc. and TruCare Internal Medicine & Infectious Disease, will be held at the Clearfield Center for Active Living, 116 S. Second St., Clearfield on April 26 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Although there are many ways for a person to get Hep C, there are certain factors that can put people at a higher risk, including:  being born between 1945 and 1965, being born to a mother with Hep C, having an organ transplant before 1992, having a blood transfusion before 1992, injecting illegal drugs – even if it was years ago or just once, having HIV or AIDS, being exposed to blood from someone with Hep C or having a history of long-term kidney dialysis.
If you have Hep C, you are not alone – about 3.4 million people are living with Hep C in the United States. Hep C is a disease caused by a virus that infects the liver.
It can be spread through blood-to-blood contact or when the blood from a person with Hep C comes into contact with another person’s blood.
Because the disease progresses slowly and often shows no symptoms, many of those with Hep C don’t know they have it.  And they may be unaware that Hep C is curable.
For more information, call the Clearfield Center for Active Living at 814-765-9319.
Programs and services of the agency are funded in part by the Pennsylvania Department of Aging, the Clearfield County Area Agency on Aging Inc., Mature Resources Foundation and local and consumer contributions.
