Jon Secada Raises Hepatitis C Awareness Among Latinos

Singer Jon Secada (2010 Getty Images)

Cuban-American singer-songwriter Jon Secada is raising awareness about Hepatitis C.

The Three-time Grammy winner wishes his father Jose hadn't kept his Hepatitis C diagnosis a secret.

The Cuban-American singer-songwriter's father died last year from complications related to the virus and failed to get the help he needed in time.

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Hispanics make up an estimated one-third of the 3.2 million Americans who suffer from Hepatitis C, which can remain in the body for years and severely damage the liver. Yet there has long been a stigma around the illness because it can be contracted through needle exchange and sex.

Secada will lend his voice Thursday to a campaign to raise awareness among Hispanics about the disease. The American Liver Foundation and the pharmaceutical company Merck — known as MSD in Latin America — are sponsoring the campaign.

Based on reporting by the Associated Press.