To mark World Hepatitis Day on July 30, RN Dominica Anderson and fellow nursing colleagues set up a booth at Memorial Park in Sudbury to raise awareness and provide screening for the virus. An interim hepatitis C treatment nurse and primary outreach testing nurse with Reseau ACCESS Network, Anderson did the screening with Point of Care, a tool that provides real-time, lab-quality diagnostic results within minutes. “Because hepatitis C is such an easy virus to cure, it’s super important to be tested. It’s easy to diagnose, it’s easy to treat,” says Anderson, who encourages everyone to get tested as part of routine blood work. Hepatitis C is contracted through exposure to infected blood. Tattoos, piercings, acupuncture, unprotected sex where blood is present, sharing needles, organ transplants, and contaminated medical equipment are all possible means of contracting the virus. About 29 million people globally are living with hepatitis C. Many of those with the virus don’t even know they have it, says Anderson. (The Sudbury Star, July 30)

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