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May 1, 2008
GOVERNOR DEJONGH PROCLAIMS MENTAL HEALTH, HEPATITIS AND ASTHMA AWARENESS IN THE UNITED STATES VIRGIN ISLANDS Gov. deJongh has proclaimed May 2008 as "Mental Health, Hepatitis and Asthma Awareness Month" in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Mental health is essential to everyone’s overall health and well-being. One in five American adults and children are affected by a mental illness, resulting in more than fifty million Americans suffering from a mental disorder in any given year. A majority of the people who overcome the fear, discrimination and misunderstanding of mental disorders, and who seek professional help, find relief following treatment. Early recognition and treatment of these problems vastly increases the likelihood of restored health. People with mental health illnesses can recover and lead full productive lives. A serious need exists to provide adequate and equitable health care coverage for mental disorders. Communities across the Nation observe National Hepatitis Awareness Month to inform the public about the dangers of these liver diseases. Early diagnosis is critical for those with Hepatitis, so accurate and timely information about liver disease is important to heighten awareness, prevent infection and transmission, and allow those infected to seek proper medical care. Diseases such as Hepatitis are often referred to as "silent diseases" because liver damage can gradually occur over many years before being discovered, which often happens once the damage is irreparable. Chronic Hepatitis B and C can eventually lead to liver cancer. These diseases are largely spread through body fluid contact with an infected person, similar to HIV/AIDS. It can also be passed from mother to child during birth. The goal of Asthma Awareness Month is to increase awareness of the public regarding the impact of asthma in our community and how asthma education can improve the lives of those affected. Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways in the lungs characterized by symptoms including coughing, wheezing, chest tightness and breathlessness. Asthma currently has no cure. Asthma education can increase knowledge and improve the ability of patients and families to self-manage their asthma. |
