This is mostly because insurers have placed obstacles in the way of people and their doctors preventing patients from accessing treatment. The barriers preventing breakthrough treatments from reaching the people who need them are not inevitable. So the data we will present today shows that only 1/3 of people diagnosed with hepatitis C have been cured. Thousands of people are dying every year in our country, and many more are suffering from an infection that has been curable for over 10 years. And yet, today nearly 15,000 Americans die annually for hepatitis C. The nation had in our hands the key to preventing tens of thousands of cases of liver cancer, liver failure and deaths from hepatitis C. Nearly 10 years ago, medical researchers developed several highly effective cures for hepatitis C. And this means that there may be up to a million Americans who don’t know they have a hepatitis C virus even though it is potentially causing severe disease. It can cause liver cancer, liver failure and death. But over time, the virus can slowly cause damage to the liver. It’s known as the silent killer because initial infection usually has few to no symptoms. CDC estimates that more than 2 million people in the United States have hepatitis C. So to understand the gravity and the importance of today’s findings, I’d like to start with some background. Following their remarks, we will open up the lines for your questions. Francis Collins from the National Institutes of Health, who serves as the lead for the White House’s National Hepatitis C Elimination Initiative. Carolyn Wester, Director of CDC’s Division of Viral Hepatitis and Dr. Jonathan Mermin, Director of CDC’s National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention. And thank you all for joining us for today’s briefing to discuss CDC’s most recent analysis of U.S. I will now turn the call over to Benjamin Haynes. If you have any objections, you may disconnect at this time. At this time all participants’ lines are on a listen only mode until the question and answer session of today’s call.
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