May is Hepatitis Awareness Month, a time to educate communities about viral hepatitis and how it’s treated.

Hepatitis means “inflammation of the liver.” It is caused by a virus and its symptoms can range from mild to fatal. The most common forms are hepatitis B and C. An estimated 862,000 people are living with hepatitis B and 2.4 million have hepatitis C. There are safe, effective vaccines for hepatitis A and B, but not for C.

The Florida Department of Health in Pinellas County (DOH-Pinellas) will provide no-cost hepatitis testing from 8 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, May 19, at its St. Petersburg Center, 205 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N.

DOH-Pinellas’ hepatitis team provides education, screenings, vaccinations, counseling and referrals for those with hepatitis. For information about the program, call (727) 824-6932. Testing is provided as a regular service through the STD clinics at DOH-Pinellas centers. (Please note that the no-cost testing will be provided only at the St. Petersburg location on May 19.)

For information, visit https://pinellas.floridahealth.gov/programs-and-services/infectious-disease-services/hepatitis/index.html.

No appointments are required. The test requires a finger-stick and the test results are provided during the same visit.

Visitors and clients can receive educational materials about hepatitis during their visit. For information about DOH-Pinellas, go to www.PinellasHealth.com or follow us on Twitter @HealthyPinellas.

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