Wednesday is World Hepatitis Day and the state Department of Health and several community-based sites will be doing their part by offering free screenings for hepatitis B and C.

People can call Aloha United Way at 211 to find the screening location nearest them

The Health Department's Immunization Branch estimates that 1 percent to 3 percent of people in Hawaii have hepatitis B and that about 23,000 are living with hepatitis C. The agency says hepatitis B and C are the most common known causes of liver cancer in Hawaii, and that Hawaii has the highest rate of liver cancer in the U.S.

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On the Net:

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: www.cdc.gov/hepatitis

World Hepatitis Day: wwwaminumber12.org