ACIP review of the hepatitis B birth dose vaccination remains a grave concern - Please read more here.

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  • Is there any special diet for people living with chronic hepatitis B infection?

    In general, you want to be sure you are living a healthy lifestyle. Avoid alcohol and cigarettes. Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet, and get regular exercise. When possible, choose whole foods fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains, plant-based proteins (like tofu, grains, and peanuts), fish and lean meats. Avoid processed foods and limit sugary drinks (sodas and fruit juices) and foods with added sugar. Limit red and fatty cuts of meat and limit foods deep fried in unhealthy oils. Avoid processed meats (like hot dogs and deli meats). Make sure to buy your nuts from trusted sources, and to inspect the nuts and grains for any signs of Aflatoxin poisoning (moldy appearance and discoloration). Also be very careful with medications or herbal remedies and supplements. Some supplements and herbs can do more harm than good. Here is more information on how to maintain a healthy liver. Find more healthy liver tips on this episode of our B Heppy podcast with Dr. Jennifer Lai.  This guide is a comprehensive resource on the dos and don’ts while living with hepatitis B. 

    https://www.hepb.org/what-is-hepatitis-b/faqs/is-there-any-special-diet-for-people-living-with-chronic-hepatitis-b-infection/
  • Does everyone with chronic hepatitis B need to take medicine?

    Not everyone with chronic hepatitis B needs treatment. Every person should be carefully evaluated by a doctor with experience treating people living with hepatitis B. There are often few or no symptoms for decades, so the only way to know for sure is to get specific blood tests to learn more about your hepatitis B infection and the health of your liver. Tests may include Hepatitis B-specific blood tests such as HBsAg, HBsAb, HBeAg, HBeAb, HBV DNA, qHBsAg, Liver-specific blood tests such as those that check for liver damage (ALT/AST), and those that evaluate liver function. Diagnostic imaging such as ultrasound and/or Fibroscan may also be used to help determine the health of the liver.     Your doctor will also want to know if there is a family history of liver disease or liver cancer. An experienced doctor looks at the results of these tests in relation to each other to determine if you would benefit from currently available treatments. Your doctor might also refer to one of the professional Clinical Guidelines, developed by professional medical organizations to provide guidance to doctors treating people diagnosed or living with hepatitis B. You should also make sure to support your liver by following a healthy lifestyle, avoid alcohol, avoid smoking, eating healthy and getting regular exercise. Here is more information on how to maintain a healthy liver. The below medicines are the ones approved for treatment of hepatitis B. these medicines are not cure for hepatitis B. They work by controlling viral replication and consequently reducing the risk of liver damage. View our Treatment Options page for more information. Antivirals: Tenofovir disoproxil (Viread), Entecavir (Baraclude), Tenofovir alafenamide (Vemlidy), Lamivudine (Epivir). Interferons: Alpha or Pegylated forms.   Find more Frequently Asked Questions here.  Page updated 02/09/2022

    https://www.hepb.org/what-is-hepatitis-b/faqs/does-everyone-with-chronic-hepatitis-b-need-to-take-medicine/
  • Three Ways to Help

    Three ways to help the Hepatitis B Foundation and our research arm, the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute, today: There are multiple ways to support HBF and the Blumberg Institute and we want to help you figure out the way that works best for you.  Amazon Smile: If you’re shopping from home this week, please consider adding us as an Amazon Smile partner. It costs nothing to you and is an ongoing help the Hepatitis B Foundation and Blumberg Institute. Simply go to the link and search for “Hepatitis B Foundation” to add us. Share one of our #justB stories on social media:  When you share, you can use these hashtags: #justBproactive #Bthevoice #healthyliving #KnowHepB Join the Champions Club: Thanks to the recent passage of the CARES Act, every American can donate up to $300 tax-free, whether or not you itemize deductions. Join for as little as $3.00 per month and be a Champion! Many of Alan’s immediate family members passed away due to liver cancer, but it wasn’t until Alan himself became ill that the family realized the role hepatitis B played in these deaths. Alan talks about how stigma prevents open discussion about the virus and raises questions about the medical community’s failure to adequately address hepatitis B. He worries that continued silence will prevent others from knowing the same joy he experiences in his life.  [embed width="480" height="270" class="leftAlone" thumbnail="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/8osyh0GZyR0/hqdefault.jpg?r"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=37&v=8osyh0GZyR0&feature=emb_logo[/embed]

    https://www.hepb.org/donate/ways-to-help/
  • Three Ways to Help

    Do you want to help? Here are three ways to help the Hepatitis B Foundation and our research arm, the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute, today: There are multiple ways to support HBF and the Blumberg Institute and we want to help you figure out the way that works best for you.  Join the Champions Club: Thanks to the recent passage of the CARES Act, every American can donate up to $300 tax-free, whether or not you itemize deductions. Join for as little as $3.00 per month and be a Champion! Amazon Smile: If you’re shopping from home this week, please consider adding us as an Amazon Smile partner. It costs nothing to you and is an ongoing help to the Hepatitis B Foundation and Blumberg Institute. Simply go to the link and search for “Hepatitis B Foundation” to add us.  Share one of our #justB stories on social media: When you share, you can use these hashtags: #justBproactive #Bthevoice #healthyliving #KnowHepB  The #justB storytelling campaign aims to raise the profile of hepatitis B as an urgent public health priority and helps put a human face on this serious disease by sharing stories of real people living with or affected by hepatitis B. The goals of the campaign are to increase awareness and advocacy; decrease stigma and discrimination; and promote testing, vaccination, linkage to care, and treatment to help save lives. Alan’s Story: [embed width="480" height="270" class="leftAlone" thumbnail="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/8osyh0GZyR0/hqdefault.jpg?r"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=37&v=8osyh0GZyR0&feature=emb_logo[/embed] Many of Alan’s immediate family members passed away due to liver cancer, but it wasn’t until Alan himself became ill that the family realized the role hepatitis B played in these deaths. Alan talks about how stigma prevents open discussion about the virus and raises questions about the medical community’s failure to adequately address hepatitis B. He worries that continued silence will prevent others from knowing the same joy he experiences in his life. 

    https://www.hepb.org/donate/3-ways-to-help/
  • HBV Journal Review – August 2013

    … antigen factories shut down and HBV reproduction de- clines dramatically. Early RNAi research found that RNA silencing worked extremely well in the liver, but the challenge has been to create a formula and delivery system to target hepatitis B antigens in liver cells without affecting other important cells. Arrowhead Research Corp. found that when the small RNA interrupters are linked to cholesterol, they target liver cells extremely well, and the addition of special polymers helps the gene silencing process. Arrowhead designed an intravenous formula, called ARC-520, that is utilized in its Phase 1 trial. The hope is that when the viral load is dramatically reduced, the body's immune system can gain the upper hand and eradicate the infection on its own. In addition to its mouse trial, a similar trial involving an HBV infected chimp with an extremely high viral load also led to rapid reduction in HBV DNA and a 90% reduction in another hepatitis B antigen—the hepatitis B "e" antigen (HBeAg). The clinical trial of ARC-520 (which uses a Dynamic Polyconju- gate delivery platform and includes two distinct RNA silencing agents that should shut down hepatitis B anti- gen reproduction) in humans is taking place in Melbourne, Australia. It is a randomized, double-blind, placebo- controlled trial. Each group of six healthy volunteers will receive either a placebo intra- venous injection or a single dose of ARC- 520... Continue reading about this and additional studies…  

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/hbv-journal-review-august-2013/
  • Hepatitis B and Social Security Disability Benefits

    Please welcome guest blogger, Ram Meyyappan, senior editor of Social Security Disability Help as he provides advice on applying for Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security  Income should your HBV prevent you from working. Hepatitis B (HBV)  is often referred to as a "silent infection" because those chronically infected may have few or no symptoms, or may not be unaware of their infection for decades. However, over time, the risk of serious liver disease is certainly possible and symptoms can range from mild to severe.  Severe symptoms rarely occur with an acute HBV infection, but can have very serious outcomes.  If your condition is severe to the point that you can no longer continue to work, you may qualify for SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA). You can learn more about SSDI and SSI here Hepatitis B and Qualifying for Benefits When you submit an application for Social Security Disability benefits an adjudicator will review your file and compare your condition with a listing of conditions known as the SSA Blue Book (http://www.ssa.gov/disability/professionals/bluebook/). This Blue Book contains a listing of conditions and qualifying criteria that may qualify an individual for Social Security Disability benefits. Unfortunately Hepatitis B does not have its own listing in the Blue Book. You may still be able to qualify for disability benefits, however, if you are able to prove that you suffer from an associated condition (such as depression) that is included in the Blue Book. Some of the conditions that may qualify an individual for Social Security Disability benefits that are listed in the Blue Book and that may be associated with Hepatitis B include: 5.05 Chronic liver disease 5.08 Unexplained weight loss 5.09 Liver transplant 12.04 Affective disorders If you are applying for disability benefits based on an associated condition that is

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/hepatitis-b-and-social-security-disability/
  • Celebrate Mother's Day by Breaking the Cycle of Hepatitis B Transmission From Mother to Baby

    … annual number of perinatal hepatitis B cases is particularly concerning because approximately 90% of HBV-infected newborns develop chronic infection; up to 25% of these children will die of cirrhosis, liver failure, or liver cancer later in life. Tackling Perinatal Hepatitis B To achieve the goal of eliminating perinatal HBV, the Action Plan calls for the provision of postexposure prophylaxis (i.e., hepatitis B immune globulin and hepatitis B vaccine) to all infants born to HBV-infected women, a strategy consistent with the recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) in its “Comprehensive Immunization Strategy to Eliminate Transmission of Hepatitis B Virus Infection in the United States.” This recommended treatment is to be provided within 12 hours of birth followed by timely completion of the rest of the three-dose hepatitis B vaccine series, to prevent the infant from contracting hepatitis B. The Action Plan and ACIP also observe that care coordination is needed to ensure that infants born to HBV-infected women receive the services needed to protect them against hepatitis B. A vital partner in these efforts to eliminate mother-to-infant transmission of hepatitis B is CDC’s Perinatal Hepatitis B Prevention Program (PHBPP) which supports activities in all 50 states, six cities, and five territories. The PHBPP was established in collaboration with state/local health departments and healthcare providers to promote use of the available tools – prenatal testing and vaccines – to reduce perinatal HBV transmission. The program works to identify pregnant women who are infected and provides case management services to ensure that infants receive the appropriate vaccines after birth to help prevent perinatal transmission. This program has been successful, ensuring that 95% of the identified infants born to infected mothers and case managed by the program received hepatitis B immune globulin and the first dose of hepatitis B vaccine

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/celebrate-mothers-day-by-breaking-the-cycle-of-hepatitis-b-transmission-from-mother-to-baby/
  • Justice Department Settles with the UMDNJ Over Discrimination Against People with Hepatitis B

    … provide ADA training to their employees and provide the applicants a total of $75,000 in compensation and tuition credits. Both of the applicants in this matter come from the Asian American Pacific Islander community. The CDC reports that Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) make up less than 5 percent of the total population in the United States, but account for more than 50 percent of Americans living with chronic Hepatitis B.   Nearly 70 percent of AAPIs living in the United States were born, or have parents who were born, in countries where hepatitis B is common. Most AAPIs with Hepatitis B contracted Hepatitis B during childbirth .   The Civil Rights Division is committed to ensuring that this community is not subjected to discrimination because of disability. Title II of the ADA prohibits state and local government entities, like the UMDNJ, from discriminating against individuals with disabilities in programs, services, and activities. State and local governments must also make reasonable modifications in policies, practices, and procedures when the modifications are necessary to avoid discrimination on the basis of disability, unless those modifications would result in a fundamental alteration. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at the website www.justice.gov/crt.  More information about the ADA and today’s agreement with UMDNJ can be accessed at the ADA website at www.ada.gov or by calling the toll-free ADA information line at 800-514-0301 or 800-514-0383 (TTY).          

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/justice-department-settles-with-the-umdnj-over-discrimination-against-people-with-hepatitis-b/
  • Raising awareness and Enabling Protective Action in an Affected Community in Australia: A work in progress...

    Welcome Guest Blogger Yvonne Drazic. She is a PhD candidate at James Cook University in Cairns, Far North Queensland, Australia. Her research focus is on reducing the rate of undiagnosed and untreated chronic hepatitis B, in migrant communities from endemic areas, particularly the local Hmong community. Yvonne lives with chronic hepatitis B, and feels privileged to be one of the less than 3% of hepatitis B cases treated in Australia. She gives back in so many ways, and is also a list parent on the HB-List, an online patient forum.  As a research student from tropical Far North Queensland in Australia, I am grateful that today’s technology allows me to be part of the global hepatitis B community. My goal is to help our local Hmong community of about 700 people to prevent future repercussions of undetected and untreated chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Having CHB myself, I was amazed to learn how many people miss out on vital medical care because they are unaware of their infection, or of its potential consequences. At present, the incidence of hepatitis B-related liver cancer is rising in Australia because undiagnosed CHB is doing much more harm than newly acquired infections in adults. The majority of affected people in Australia are migrants from endemic areas and Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islander people who were mostly infected at birth or in early childhood. Yet, less than 3% of cases are currently receiving antiviral therapy (Carville & Cowie, 2012). I chose to focus on the Hmong community because studies in the U.S. show a particularly high CHB prevalence (~15%) in this population (Kowdley, Wang, Welch, Roberts, & Brosgart, 2011). And sure enough, when talking to members of the community, I heard sad stories of family members getting sick or dying from liver disease. Hepatitis B as a threat to public health has long been neglected in Australia, compared to the attention given to HIV and hepatitis C. However, based on a National Hepatitis B Needs

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/raising-awareness-and-enabling-protective-action-in-an-affected-community-in-australia-a-work-in-progress/

  • CONTACT: Jenny Kimbeljenny.kimbel@hepb.org / 215-489-4900  Hepatitis B Foundation Co-Sponsors East Coast Film Premiere of Be About It Documentary about two families profoundly affected by hepatitis B will show at Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival on November 20 Doylestown, PA (November 2016) The Hepatitis B Foundation and AARP will co-sponsor a screening of the documentary Be About It as part of the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival this week. Be About It is the story of two families and their battle against the potentially life-threatening hepatitis B virus, which is the leading cause of liver cancer among Asian Americans. The screening is on Sunday, November 20 at 4:45 pm at the Asian Arts Initiative, 1219 Vine Street, Philadelphia. The documentary will be followed by a panel discussion featuring representatives from the Hepatitis B Foundation and its local coalition Hep B United Philadelphia, who will discuss how they are combating hepatitis B in Philadelphia and nationwide. Hepatitis B affects 1 in 12 Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, but most do not know that they have it. Be About It follows two men who were both infected at birth, and the impact chronic hepatitis B infection has had on them and their families. The documentary, directed by Christopher Wong and created with support from Gilead Sciences as part of their Hep B Smart program, aims to end the silence associated with hepatitis B by encouraging families to talk openly and dispel myths about living with the virus. Hepatitis B is the most common serious liver infection in the world. An estimated 2 billion people worldwide, or 1 out of every 3, have been infected with the hepatitis B virus. Of those, more than 240 million people have become chronically infected, which means they are unable to rid their bodies of the virus. An estimated 700,000 people die each year from hepatitis B and its complications, including liver cancer. About the Hepatitis B Foundation: The Hepatitis B Foundation is the nation’s leading nonprofit organization solely dedicated to finding a cure for hepatitis B and improving the quality of life for those affected worldwide through research, education and patient advocacy. To learn more, go to http://www.hepb.org, read our blog at http://hepb.org/blog, follow us on Twitter @HepBFoundation, find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/hepbfoundation or call 215-489-4900. About Hep B United Philadelphia: Hep B United Philadelphia, established by the Hepatitis B Foundation, seeks to increase the visibility of hepatitis B and liver cancer as an urgent health priority by increasing hepatitis B testing and vaccination rates, particularly among at-risk communities, and involving and mobilizing stakeholders and policy decision-makers to improve access to care for both the prevention and treatment of hepatitis B and liver cancer. To learn more, go to www.hepbunitedphiladelphia.org.   # # #

    https://www.hepb.org/news-and-events/news-2/be-about-it/