This month marks the second anniversary of Combating the Silent Epidemic of Viral Hepatitis: Action Plan for the Prevention, Care & Treatment of Viral Hepatitis – and over the past two years, with your support, we have been able to achieve:

These are just some of the examples of progress made over the past two years. We are currently working with the federal partners to develop a report highlighting progress made during 2012 which we look forward to sharing this summer. (If you haven’t seen it, read the Viral Hepatitis Action Plan Interagency Implementation Progress Report–Year 1 that was issued last October.)

Currently, the Action Plan details steps that the partner agencies are undertaking through the end of 2013.  I am very pleased to announce that the partner agencies are committed and dedicated to renewing the Action Plan for another three years and are currently working on their vision and priorities for 2014-2016.

Input from our non-federal partners will be important in informing this renewal of the plan. So, we are inviting public comments on how federal efforts should be focused in the new plan to have the greatest impact on addressing and improving viral hepatitis awareness, prevention, testing, care and treatment. We will also invite ideas on how non-federal partners can be engaged in these efforts so that other sectors can join in this important national mobilization to address the silent epidemic of viral hepatitis. To gather this input, the Office of HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Policy will soon be conducting stakeholder webinars. I encourage you to share your suggestions.

The focus on viral hepatitis at HHS and across the federal government brought about by the Action Plan has truly been remarkable. We have garnered unprecedented momentum and awareness of this critical health issue. With the renewal of the Action Plan, we will harness that momentum and work to increase it as we work together, “a nation committed to combating the silent epidemic of viral hepatitis.”

Howard K. Koh, MD, MPH, is the assistant secretary for health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This article was originally published at AIDS.gov.