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  • Celebrate Mothers’ Day with High-Quality Healthcare First, Sentimentality Second

    Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici at FreeDigitalPhotos.net. By Christine Kukka In 1914, the United States designated the second Sunday in May as “Mothers’ Day.” Its founder, Anna Jarvis, hoped the holiday would focus on her own mother's work promoting peace and public health. Years later, Jarvis protested loudly when the holiday became better known for sentimentality and greeting card sales. Our nation often loses sight of a holiday's original intent, but this Mother's Day we can bring back the goal of preserving public health, especially where it concerns mothers and infectious diseases. Decades ago, researchers developed one of the most extraordinary life-saving vaccines--hepatitis B immunization. It saves lives in two ways: It protects children and adults from infection and it breaks the vicious cycle of mother-to-child infection. A baby born to a hepatitis B-infected almost always becomes infected. The vaccine, administered within hours of birth, breaks that cycle. When the vaccine debuted in the late 1970s and early 1980s, most people with chronic hepatitis B had been infected at birth. When newborns and children are infected, their immune systems don’t recognize or attack the virus and the infection can continue indefinitely. To stop this infection cycle, today all pregnant women are screened for hepatitis B. Babies born to infected women are immediately vaccinated and treated with HBIG (hepatitis B antibodies). This public health initiative has been extremely successful in dramatically reducing hepatitis B. However, the campaign's focus has been primarily on newborns and the hepatitis B-infected mothers were often forgotten. Though hepatitis B infections had been identified, the infected mothers were often lost to follow-up, and this neglect continues today. A report  published in the March 2016 issue of the Journal of Viral Hepatitis followed 243 hepatitis B-infected women who received care during their pregnancies at the

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/celebrate-mothers-day-with-high-quality-healthcare-first-sentimentality-second/
  • It’s Hepatitis Awareness Month: Five Reasons We Don’t Get Tested, and How to Overcome Them

    Members of Drexel University's Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association participate in a hepatitis B screening program at a Chinese Christian church in Philadelphia. May is Hepatitis Awareness month. Why do we need an annual reminder about hepatitis B? Because 65 percent of the estimated 2.2 million people in the U.S. living with hepatitis B don’t know they’re infected. Studies show when people know their hepatitis B status, they’re more likely to get monitored regularly, get treatment, and take steps to avoid passing on the disease to partners and their children. So why are so many Americans unaware of their hepatitis B infection? Here are five roadblocks that stop us from getting tested for hepatitis B, and what how we can do to overcome them. We feel fine, so we assume we’re not infected. Hepatitis B rarely causes symptoms. There are very few sensory nerves around the liver, so when a viral hepatitis infection strikes, we rarely feel its effects. As a result, most of us – especially if we were infected as children or newborns – never experience any symptoms for decades. So remember, “feeling OK” is no excuse to avoid testing. We’re afraid and would rather not know if we have hepatitis B. In this case, ignorance can lead to liver damage, cancer, and the spread of this potentially-fatal infection. When a hepatitis B infection is identified and monitored, our chances of leading a long and healthy life increase markedly. Getting tested is scary, but getting liver cancer is deadly. We think we’re not at risk: We humans have an amazing capacity to “forget” or ignore things we’ve done that were stupid, embarrassing and put us at risk, or that might lead to painful discoveries and disclosures. If we ever had unprotected sex with someone whose hepatitis B status is unknown to us, we are at risk. If we or our parents come from a region, such as Asia and Africa, that has high rates of hepatitis B (see the map) we’re at risk. If

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/its-hepatitis-awareness-month-five-reasons-we-dont-get-tested-and-how-to-overcome-them/
  • How Was I Infected with Hepatitis B? Making the Journey from Anger to Acceptance

    Image courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net By Christine Kukka “How did I get infected? Who could have infected me?” These questions are common when we are first diagnosed with hepatitis B. Dumbfounded by the news, we struggle to understand when this infection could have occurred and who could have infected us with a virus that now threatens our health and well-being. This diagnosis not only affects our health, it can weaken the trust we’ve placed in family members, friends and lovers. It threatens to dismantle basic beliefs we’ve held about fairness and honesty, and the assumption that if we treated people well that we would be treated fairly in return. Infections know no moral codes and ignore all the unspoken deals we have made with the universe. Many of us will never know how we were infected or who infected us. First, hepatitis B rarely causes any symptoms so it’s impossible to tell when we became infected. Second, about 65 percent of people infected with hepatitis B in the U.S. don’t know they’re infected. It’s difficult to blame someone who doesn’t know they carry this virus. While universal hepatitis B immunization has dramatically reduced infection rates since the 1980s, there are still many who did not have access to this immunization.  And, a hepatitis B vaccine administered during childhood would have done nothing for people who were infected at birth. Hepatitis B can be transmitted easily during sex or intimate contact, so even if we practice safe sex scrupulously, if we were not vaccinated we remain at risk. And, often it’s easier to blame someone else rather than own up to our own behavior. But blame holds us back. What we need is forgiveness, instead of acrimony and anger. But acceptance takes time and work. Nearly 30 years ago, writer Randy Schilts tried to find the first person (Patient Zero), who introduced AIDS to North America in his book And the Band Played On. In the book, Schilts suggested that a

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/how-did-i-get-infected-making-the-journey-from-anger-and-blame-to-acceptance/
  • Know Your Rights: If You Suffer Severe Liver Damage from Hepatitis B, You May Qualify for SSDI or SSI

    Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net The majority of people infected with hepatitis B lead healthy and normal lives. However, a small number of people may develop liver disease that will dramatically affect their quality of life and their ability to work on a short-term or long-term basis. They may not be able to work for several weeks because of side effects from pegylated interferon treatment, or progressive liver damage could make it impossible to work and support themselves and their families even after treatment. Below is information that can help you, your family members, or someone you advocate for apply for disability benefits to help them during when they can't work due to hepatitis B-related health problems. The first step is to find out if you can meet the Social Security Administration’s (SSA’s) medical eligibility requirements to receive disability support. With hepatitis B, you may qualify for one of SSA’s two disability programs: Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is available to qualified, disabled workers who paid into the Social Security system through taxes over the course of their employment history. Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a program with financial or “need-based” eligibility requirements. If you have limited income and other financial resources, you may meet SSI requirements. To qualify f0r either of these programs, your hepatitis B must meet medical eligibility rules and program-specific requirements. Additionally, your hepatitis and complications must have stopped you from working for 12 months or be expected to prevent employment for at least a year, despite treatment. Qualifying under Blue Book's hepatitis listing The SSA’s Blue Book outlines medical conditions that meet disability requirements. There is a listing for hepatitis in this manual. It appears in section 5.05, which covers chronic liver disease. To meet the listing, your hepatitis B must be unresponsive to treatment,

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/know-your-rights-if-you-suffer-severe-liver-damage-from-hepatitis-b-you-may-qualify-for-ssdi-or-ssi/
  • Forget Surface Antibodies, If You Have Both Undetectable Viral Load and HBsAg, You Might Be Functionally “Cured”

    Dr. Robert Gish By Christine Kukka For decades, people living with chronic hepatitis B were told they would be “cured” only when they lost the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and developed surface antibodies. It represented the holy grail of recovery that everyone hoped for, but very few achieved. Today, experts are redefining what constitutes a “functional cure” from chronic hepatitis B and taking the surface antibody out of the equation. Researchers, including expert Dr. Robert Gish, suggest if people have an undetectable viral load (HBV DNA), undetectable HBsAg, and no signs of liver damage, they may be "functionally cured," even if they haven't developed surface antibodies. The cure is called “functional” because the only cure for hepatitis B is when the immune system controls or suppresses the virus. People with chronic hepatitis usually experience several infection stages, starting with a high viral load (called immune-tolerant or immune-trained) during childhood and early adulthood, followed by years and even decades of “active” hepatitis B where the immune system tries to clear the infection, indicated by elevated liver enzyme tests. In some lucky people, the “active” phase successfully eradicates HBsAg and infected liver cells. They test negative for HBsAg, their viral load drops to undetectable levels and their liver enzyme tests (for ALT or SGPT) show no signs of liver damage. Despite their "inactive" infection, studies show two-thirds of these people will never develop surface antibodies, said Dr. Gish, medical consultant to the Hepatitis B Foundation and professor consultant of gastroenterology and hepatology at Stanford University. But isn’t developing surface antibodies the gold standard for recovery from hepatitis B? Not any more, explained Dr. Gish. Historically, medical guidelines dictated that chronically-infected patients must generate at least 10 mIU/mL of surface antibodies to be “functionally

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/forget-surface-antibodies-if-you-have-both-undetectable-viral-load-and-hbsag-you-might-be-functionally-cured/
  • Hepatitis B and the U.S. Public Health Corps

    As of Oct. 3, 2022, people living with chronic hepatitis B or HIV can serve in the U.S. Public Health Corps. The change comes after advocacy from the Hepatitis B Foundation and the HIV community. You can read the amendment to the Medical Accession Standards here. What do if you are facing discrimination: If you or someone you know has faced hepatitis B-related discrimination in the military, and to learn more about how you can join us and take action, please contact the Hepatitis B Foundation at discrimination@hepb.org or 215-489-4900.  

    https://www.hepb.org/resources-and-support/know-your-rights/hepatitis-b-and-the-u-s-public-health-corps/
  • What is hepatitis B?

    Hepatitis B is the most common serious liver infection in the world. It is a virus that specifically attacks cells in the liver. Globally, there are nearly 300 million people living with chronic hepatitis B. Additionally, it has been estimated that about 2 billion people have been infected with hepatitis B (either acute or chronic). There are other viruses that may attack the liver such as hepatitis A, C, D and E, but each virus is unique. Fortunately, there is a vaccine to prevent new hepatitis B infections and excellent treatments for those that need treatment. Hepatitis B can result in either an acute or chronic infection. When a person is newly infected, it is called an “acute” infection. If the person continues to test positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) for longer than 6 months, then it is considered a chronic infection. Testing is the only way to know for sure if a person is infected with hepatitis B, and if they have acute or chronic infection. Babies and young children are particularly vulnerable to the hepatitis B virus. While ninety percent (90%) of babies and up to 50% of young children will progress to chronic infection with hepatitis B, only up to 10 percent (10%) of healthy adults will progress to chronic infection. (90% of healthy adults will clear acute hepatitis B infections. Most do not require any medication to clear an acute infection.). People are often surprised to learn of their hepatitis B infection because there may be few or no symptoms for decades. They may think they have an acute hepatitis B infection, when, in fact, they were infected as a baby or young child and have a chronic infection. This is because hepatitis B may go unnoticed with no – or few mild – symptoms. The good news is that hepatitis B can be prevented with the safe and effective hepatitis B vaccine. Ideally, ALL babies are vaccinated within 24 hours of birth and complete the vaccine series on schedule, to protect them from hepatitis B for a lifetime. Learn more about the science behind hepatitis B in this short video by Dr. Thomas Tu:    Find more Frequently Asked Questions here.    Page updated 02/09/2022

    https://www.hepb.org/what-is-hepatitis-b/faqs/what-is-hepatitis-b/
  • Webinars

    Webinar Recordings Hepatitis B and HIV Screening, Prevention, and Management for African Immigrants and Refugees in the United States: Barriers and Solutions (May 2023) Unlocking Viral Hepatitis Elimination on the African Continent (September 2022) Addressing Myths & Misconceptions about Hepatitis B among African Immigrant Communities around the United States. Co-hosted by CHIPO and Hep B United. (April 2022) - Slides from This Presentation: Dr. Olorunseun Ogunwobi; Dr. Ganiat Sarumi Disu & Mrs. Oluwatoyin Adedokun Understanding Disparities in Hepatitis B and Liver Cancer Knowledge & Screening Rates Among Highly Impacted Communities Around the United States. Co-hosted by CHIPO and Hep B United. (March 2022) - Slides from this presentation found here. Eliminating HIV/AIDS & Hepatitis Inequities Among African Immigrant Communities in the US: A Conversation with Federal & Local Partners (September 2021) Hepatitis B Educational Resources for African Communities. Co-hosted by CHIPO and Hep B United. (May 2021) - Slides from This Presentation: Hepatitis B Educational Resources for People of African Origin (Kari Sapsis); African Services Committee (Danait Yemane) Linkage to Care and Treatment for Persons Living with Chronic Hepatitis B Infection in Dar es-Salaam and Zanzibar, Tanzania. Co-hosted by CHIPO and Hep B United. (March 2021) - Slides from this presentation found here. The Impact of COVID-19 on African Immigrants Living in New England: A PhotoVoice Project (Feb 2021) Hepatitis B in Sub-Saharan Africa. Co-hosted by CHIPO and Hep B United (Feb 2018)

    https://www.hepb.org/research-and-programs/chipo/resources/webinars/
  • Planned Giving - 1991 Legacy Society

    Did you know there are ways to make a gift to the Hepatitis B Foundation that may also reduce the amount of taxes you pay or even generate income? Planned giving is a thoughtful, attractive giving strategy for many donors and one you arrange during your lifetime with the benefit to the Hepatitis B Foundation, deferred to a future date. Benefits Ability to: Make larger gifts during your lifetime than otherwise possible. Make a gift while assuring income for yourself, a spouse, a child or to others for whom you wish to make provisions. Create a memorial in your name or that of a loved one. Take advantage of tax benefits, now or in the future.   Gifts Anyone Can Make You can support the Hepatitis B Foundation with gifts that don’t impact the way you live by designating the Hepatitis B Foundation to receive estate assets in the future or by making immediate gifts to us of assets that are “out of sight and out of mind.”We call these “Gifts Anyone Can Make” because anyone can make them now without impacting cash flow, lifestyle, or family security. Life Insurance - You transfer ownership of a paid-up life insurance policy to the Hepatitis B Foundation, making a gift using an asset that you and your family no longer need. You will receive an income tax deduction equal to the cash surrender value of the policy Give through your will or trust - Include a bequest to the Hepatitis B Foundation in your will or trust, using simple language that can be added to your will or trust very easily:  RESIDUAL GIFT LANGUAGE A residual bequest comes to us after your estate expenses and specific bequests are paid: I give and devise to the Hepatitis B Foundation, located in Doylestown, PA, all (or state a percentage) of the rest, residue, and remainder of my estate, both real and personal, to be used for its general support (or for the support of a specific program). SPECIFIC GIFT LANGUAGENaming the Hepatitis B Foundation as a beneficiary of a specific amount or percentage of your estate is easy:I give and devise to the Hepatitis B Foundation, located in Doylestown, PA, the sum of $___________ (%) to be used for its general support (or for the support of a specific program).   Gifts That Pay You Income Did you know there’s a gift to the Hepatitis B Foundation that returns payments to you? Yes, the IRS allows and encourages these creative plans that can stretch your giving ability. These “Gifts That Pay You Back” help you make a substantial gift to the Foundation while increasing your income. Charitable Gift Annuity - You transfer cash or securities to the Hepatitis B Foundation. Our minimum gift requirement is $10,000. In return, you receive dependable, fixed income for life, regardless of fluctuations in the market, and receive an immediate tax deduction for a portion of your gift. Deferred Gift Annuity – Similar to a CGA, beginning on a specified date in the future, the Hepatitis B Foundation begins to pay you, or up to two annuitants you name, fixed annuity payments for life. Deferral of payments permits a higher annuity rate and generates a larger charitable deduction. Gifts That Protect Your Legacy Increased income may not be your primary objective. Instead, you may be wondering how you will deal with some highly appreciated property or a growing family business as your needs and lifestyle change. Will taxes consume much of the value that you have worked so hard to grow? Will anything be left for you and your family? Charitable Lead Trust - You contribute securities or other appreciating assets to a Charitable Lead Trust. The trust makes annual payments to the Hepatitis B Foundation for a period of time. In return, income payments to us for a term reduce the ultimate tax cost of transferring an asset to your heirs. CONTACT US For more information on how to set up a planned gift, contact:Jean HolmesVice President, Institutional AdvancementJean.Holmes@hepb.org, 215-489-4946 The Hepatitis B Foundation partners with the Univest Foundation for some planned giving tools. Go to UnivestFoundation.org to get more information. Your interest and generosity are deeply appreciated. Please consult your financial planner and/or lawyer for specific legal, tax, or investment questions.  

    https://www.hepb.org/donate/planned-giving/
  • Post-Exposure Treatment for Hepatitis B

    Hepatitis B Post-Exposure Treatment If an uninfected, unvaccinated person - or anyone who does not know their hepatitis B status - is exposed to the hepatitis B virus through contact with infected blood, a timely “postexposure prophylaxis” (PEP) can prevent an infection and subsequent development of a chronic infection or liver disease. This means a person should seek immediate medical attention to start the hepatitis B vaccine series. In some circumstances a drug called “hepatitis B immune globulin” (HBIG) is recommended in addition to the hepatitis B vaccine for added protection. If you have been recently exposed to bodily fluids and are concerned about hepatitis B, please reach out to your health care provider as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is best).You can also contact your health department or Viral Hepatitis Prevention Coordinator for help accessing HBIG, as most health care providers don’t carry HBIG in their offices. Key Points: Any person who is uninfected/unvaccinated or does not know their hepatitis B status should receive “postexposure prophylaxis” after contact with potentially infected blood. Neither pregnancy nor breastfeeding should be considered a contraindication to administration of the hepatitis B vaccination and HBIG to women. Employers are required to establish exposure-control plans that include follow-up for their employees and to comply with incident reporting requirements mandated by the 1992 OSHA bloodborne pathogen standard. Learn more about this topic from the CDC. Read this article published by the HBF public health team: Freeland C, Cohen C, Collier M. (2018). Public health response to hepatitis B exposure: A case study on gaps and opportunities to improve postexposure care. Infectious Disease in Clinical Practice; 26(4):185-186. Learn more about this topic. 

    https://www.hepb.org/prevention-and-diagnosis/post-exposure-treatment/