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 improving 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 CHIPO!
Does your organization serve African populations in the U.S., or are you a passionate community member? All are welcome at CHIPO's coalition calls! Our next call will take place on Monday, March 20th, 2023 at 3pm Eastern Time. More information coming soon. Email beatrice.zovich@hepb.org if you have questions or are interested in joining!
Listen to a new podcast: Spotlight on Stigma
Join us for a podcast in which researchers from the Hepatitis B Foundation in the United States and the University of New South Wales in Australia come together to discuss the profound impacts stigma can have on the lives of people living with hepatitis B.
Click here to listen!
News and Updates
Check out our blog post, which provides an overview of CHIPO's goals and objectives, where we've been and where we're going. We hope you join us!
Check out a recent webinar collaboration between CHIPO & Hep B United: Addressing Myths & Misconceptions about Hepatitis B among African Immigrant Communities around the United States. There are many myths surrounding various aspects of hepatitis B, including its prevalence, transmission, prevention, testing, severity, and treatment. This webinar explores some of the most widespread misconceptions, particularly in African communities around the United States, from a variety of perspectives, including those of healthcare providers and a community health practitioner. Watch to learn more!
Recent Nature Communications article (January 2023): Systematic review and individual-patient-data meta-analysis of non-invasive fibrosis markers for chronic hepatitis B in Africa
Recent Mirage article (January 2023): Simpler Tests Needed for Africa’s Chronic Hep B Patients
Recent Journal of Gastroenterology article (September 2022): Prevalence and Predictors of Viral Hepatitis D Co-Infection in Chronic HbsAg Carriers
View our Publication! Barriers to Hepatitis B Screening and Prevention for African Immigrant Populations in the United States: A Qualitative Study (2020)
Exciting news about National African Immigrant and Refugee HIV/AIDS & Hepatitis Awareness (NAIRHHA) Day!: Reps. Johnson, Meng, and Lee Push to Recognize Sept. 9th as National African Immigrant and Refugee HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis Awareness (NAIRHHA) Day
The November 2022 CHIPO coalition call featured a presentation by Dr. Yasmin Ibrahim of the Hepatitis B Foundation, who presented her recent paper entitled Attitudes towards clinical trial participation among people living with chronic hepatitis B. You can view Dr. Ibrahim's slides here.
Check out a new podcast from our partners at the United States Coalition for African Immigrant Health, all about hepatitis B in African communities, and featuring two of our new #justB storytellers!
In July of 2022, the CHIPO coalition call focused on stigma and discrimination surrounding hepatitis B in African communities and included presentations from Mohamed Ali, a Public Health Manager for Seattle and King County, Washington and Cait O'Donnell, Manager of Health and Social Programs at African Family Health Organization (AFAHO) in Philadelphia. You can view Mohamed's slides here and Cait's slides here.
CHIPO's May 2022 coalition call featured an overview of the fundamentals of grant-writing. View slides from this presentation here.
At our March 2022 meeting, we hosted Dr. Yvonne Nartey of the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital in Ghana and Mr. Kenneth Kabagambe, Founder and Executive Director of the National Organization for People Living with Hepatitis B in Uganda. Both discussed the great hepatitis B and C advocacy efforts they are undertaking in their respective countries. You can view Dr. Nartey's slides here.
On our February 2022 coalition call, we were pleased to host Fatima Omarufilo, Program Coordinator and Patient Navigator at the Starfish Program at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, NY, who presented the work that she and her colleagues had done on their paper about breaking down barriers for hepatitis B screening in the Bronx West African community through education in collaboration with faith-based organizations. You can view Fatima's slides here.
Montefiore Einstein Starfish Project is offering FREE hepatitis B testing for West Africans in the Bronx, NYC. Click here for more details.
The Starfish Program has hepatitis B fact sheets available for West African communities that can be found in English, Twi, Hausa, French, and Igbo.
African Services Committee in New York City created a flyer in both English and French about understanding your hepatitis B test results. View this resource here.
From our Blog
CHIPO Partner Highlight: United States Coalition for African Immigrant Health
CHIPO Partner Highlight: Illinois Public Health Association
CHIPO Partner Highlight: Great Lakes Peace Centre
Tackling Hepatitis B in Africa: The First Nigerian Hepatitis Summit
Where is Hepatitis Delta? High Prevalence of Hepatitis B/Delta Coinfection in Central Africa
Raising Awareness about Hepatitis B in African Immigrant Communities in the US
CHIPO Call Minutes
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