Ask Congress to Support the Liver Illness Visibility, Education, and Research (LIVER) Act
What is the Liver Illness Visibility, Education, and Research (LIVER) Act?
The LIVER Act is a public health initiative that will help people of all ages, lifestyles, and ethnic backgrounds reduce their risk for liver cancer and related risk factors like viral hepatitis and NASH.
Who is the LIVER Act important for?
All liver disease can progress to liver cancer; it is estimated that 44% of individuals with chronic hepatitis B infection, 21% of individuals with hepatitis C, 4-27% of individuals with NASH, and 26% of individuals with alcohol-related cirrhosis will develop liver cancer.
Certain communities are disproportionately impacted by liver cancer; Asian Americans are four times more likely to have liver cancer; excess liver cancer incidence and liver cancer mortality are highest among non-Hispanic Black males; U.S. Hispanics have a liver cancer incidence rate that is almost two times higher than non-Hispanic whites; Asian Americans comprise 60% of the U.S. population living with Hepatitis B, the leading risk factor for liver cancer; American Indian/Alaskan Natives have a liver cancer mortality rate almost two times higher than non-Hispanic whites;
Why do we need the LIVER Act?
Since 1980, the incidence of liver cancer in the United States has nearly tripled, with death rates having more than doubled.
We know that up to 70% of liver cancer cases could be prevented by increased uptake of hepatitis B vaccination, hepatitis C cures, and lifestyle management and development of treatments for fatty liver disease.
How will the LIVER Act address this issue?
The LIVER Act will authorize additional funds and better coordinate interagency liver cancer, hepatitis B research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
It will elevate liver initiatives within the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
It will authorize funds for prevention and awareness grants at the the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including grants for screening, vaccination, and treatment for liver cancer, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, and cirrhosis of the liver.
Don’t miss this opportunity to show the groundswell of support for the LIVER Act across the country, and urge your legislators to take action.
Just use our easy automated message generator to get started. Legislators also want to hear directly from their constituents, so we strongly encourage you to add your personal story to help them better understand the need to prioritize liver disease research, and prevention efforts.