Coalition Against Hepatitis for People of African Origin (CHIPO)
The Coalition Against Hepatitis for People of African Origin (CHIPO) is a community coalition co-founded and led by the Hepatitis B Foundation. We are comprised of organizations and individuals interested in addressing the high rates of hepatitis B infection among African communities around the world. CHIPO serves as a forum for sharing information and best practices and increasing national capacity to improve hepatitis B awareness, testing, vaccination and treatment among highly affected African communities.
People of African origin are disproportionately affected by hepatitis B infection. In fact, in some African communities in the U.S., between 5% and 15% of people have chronic HBV infection. Unfortunately, due to the silent nature of the disease, lack of disease awareness, and limited health care access, most African community members who have hepatitis B DO NOT KNOW that they are infected. This puts them at much greater risk for premature death from cirrhosis or liver cancer.
The key to addressing the high burden of hepatitis B infection in people of African origin is to improve awareness and access to hepatitis B information, screening, vaccination, and follow-up care. CHIPO brings together people from around the world who are working in their own local communities to address these very issues.
Join us for a webinar!
In honor of Minority Health Month, join us for a webinar to hear from Dr. Patricia Jones, a hepatologist and Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of Miami, and co-leader of the Liver Cancer Working Group in the African Caribbean Cancer Consortium. Dr. Jones will share background information about the consortium and will focus specifically on current efforts and initiatives to address the disproportionate burden of hepatocellular carcinoma in African and Caribbean communities globally. We hope you can join us! Register here!
Join CHIPO!
Does your organization serve African populations, or are you a passionate community member? All are welcome at CHIPO's coalition calls! Our next call will take place on Monday, May 13th, 2024 at 10am Eastern Time. More details are coming soon. Email beatrice.zovich@hepb.org if you have questions or are interested in joining!
View our Publication! Barriers to Hepatitis B Screening and Prevention for African Immigrant Populations in the United States: A Qualitative Study (2020)
Check out our latest webinar!
We recently held a webinar, Hepatitis B Advocacy in Africa: Case Examples from Ghana and Nigeria, during which speakers shared their experiences of working toward and achieving policy change around hepatitis B within state- and country-level Ministries of Health, which can hopefully serve as a model for similar advocacy in other contexts. As we are aware, hepatitis B carries a significant burden across the African continent with over 60 million Africans living with hepatitis B. To improve testing, access to management and treatment, and prevention, it takes significant political commitment and advocacy. This webinar discussed strategies to engage with political leaders within the African context. We hope by the end of this session you will be inspired and encouraged to create similar initiatives in your communities.
CHIPO Call Minutes
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