Silence Is Deadly: Living with Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C, a disease that attacks liver function, wasn't discovered until the 1980s. Unlike Hepatitis A or B, Hepatitis C progresses to a chronic form that may take years to exhibit symptoms and can ultimately prove fatal in the absence of an organ transplant. Filmmaker Kindra Anne Ruocco's (who suffers from the disease) activist documentary Silence Is Deadly profiles four individuals with Hepatitis C, often contracted from blood transfusions received before supplies were routinely tested. Their stories, poignant and even uplifting as they detail the struggle to come to terms with their condition, are placed in a broader context through a discussion of various treatment options (both conventional Western medicine and Eastern approaches), as well as a look at efforts to increase public awareness of the disease. One male sufferer's suggestion of a possible conspiracy in the failure to address the spread of the infection during the early years may seem farfetched, and viewers may also question his contention that compensation is due victims because blood supply testing was not instituted fast enough, but there's no question that the estimates of the huge numbers of infected, both in the U.S. (five million) and globally (200 million), together with projections about the potential death rate from an epidemic, lend special urgency to the film's message. Both an informative introduction to a serious public health problem and an affecting study of the effects of a debilitating illness, Silence Is Deadly is recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)