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  • Hepatitis B and Stigma

    … transmission can be prevented! Sometimes people do not want to discuss their hepatitis B status because of its association with intravenous drug use. People who inject drugs experience more discrimination because of the stigma surrounding addiction. On the flip side, individuals who do not inject drugs but are living with hepatitis B, might not want to discuss their status for fear that other people will stigmatize or label them as drug users. Additionally, people might assume individuals living with hepatitis B engage in risky sexual behavior which can further stigmatize them. This stigmatization only harms people living with hepatitis B because they cannot talk about their status openly, which would help destigmatize the disease. Even extending past World Kindness Day, we encourage you to be kind to people living with hepatitis B. And if you are living with hepatitis B, please be kind to yourself! Continue to educate yourselves on hepatitis B to help lessen the stigma and discrimination surrounding it. Below is a brief list of resources for people living with hepatitis B or individuals living with people living with hepatitis B. Transmission of hepatitis B - how hepatitis B can be transmitted Online Support Groups Factsheet - When Someone in the Family has Hepatitis B Know Your Rights - for anyone experiencing discrimination because of their hepatitis B status References Kim, M. J., Lee, H., Kiang, P., Watanabe, P., Torres, M. I., Halon, P., Shi, L., & Church, D. R. (2015). Debunking the myth: low knowledge levels of HBV infection among Asian American college students. Asia-Pacific journal of oncology nursing, 2(1), 8–16. https://doi.org/10.4103/2347-5625.152399 Mokaya, J., McNaughton, A. L., Burbridge, L., Maponga, T., O'Hara, G., Andersson, M., Seeley, J., & Matthews, P. C. (2018). A blind spot? Confronting the stigma of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection - A systematic review. Wellcome open research, 3, 29.

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/hepatitis-b-stigma/
  • ASCO: Updated Guidelines for Hepatitis B Screening

    … special situations. Because of these risk factors for hepatitis B reactivation, it is important for health care professionals to screen for hepatitis B prior to cancer treatment. What Does This Mean for Providers Oncologists and healthcare providers have a responsibility to screen their cancer patients for hepatitis B prior to treatment. Screening is especially important among vulnerable populations such as persons of Asian, Pacific Islander and African descent who are disproportionately affected by hepatitis B. What Does This Mean for Patients Patients with cancer should also advocate for themselves in healthcare settings to ask for a hepatitis B panel screening before treatment. Your provider will be able to interpret your test results, but here is a simple table to help you understand your hepatitis B panel screening results.   Read the full article here.   Reference Hwang, J. P., Feld, J. J., Hammond, S. P., Wang, S. H., Alston-Johnson, D. E., Cryer, D. R., Hershman, D. L., Loehrer, A. P., Sabichi, A. L., Symington, B. E., Terrault, N., Wong, M. L., Somerfield, M. R., & Artz, A. S. (2020). Hepatitis B Virus Screening and Management for Patients With Cancer Prior to Therapy: ASCO Provisional Clinical Opinion Update. Journal of clinical oncology: official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, JCO2001757. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.20.01757 Author Evangeline Wang, Public Health Program and Outreach Coordinator at the Hepatitis B Foundation Contact Information: info@hepb.org

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/asco-updated-guidelines-hepatitis-b-screening/
  • NAIRHHA Day 2020

    Commemorating National African Immigrant and Refugee HIV & Hepatitis Awareness (NAIRHHA) Day 2020 Each year in September, the Hepatitis B Foundation, along with partners around the U.S., recognizes National African Immigrant and Refugee HIV and Hepatitis Awareness (NAIRHHA) Day. Founded by advocates in Massachusetts, Washington D.C., and New York, NAIRHHA Day has been observed annually on September 9th by healthcare professionals, awareness campaigns, and other organizations since 2014. Although not yet nationally recognized, the Multicultural AIDS Coalition (MAC) and the Coalition Against Hepatitis for People of African Origin (CHIPO) are working to establish NAIRHHA day as its own federally designated awareness day. As explained by Chioma Nnaji, Director at the Multicultural AIDS Coalition’s Africans For Improved Access (AFIA) program, there is a great need to establish NAIRHHA day as its own day. “Several of the current awareness days are inclusive of African immigrant communities, but do not comprehensively address their unique social factors and cultural diversity, as well as divergent histories and experiences in the US.” Why NAIRHHA Day? People born outside of the U.S. often face different health challenges than those born in the country and face various barriers to accessing important healthcare services. African immigrants (AI) are disproportionately burdened by HIV and hepatitis B. Advocates for NAIRHHA Day recognized the need to address these health issues in the community and thought that a combined awareness day would be the most effective way to reach the largest number of people impacted. Hepatitis B presents a significant public health burden for many African countries, and subsequent immigrant populations living in the United States. Although data is limited on hepatitis B infection among African immigrant (AI) and refugee communities in the U.S., studies have shown infection rates are high – between 5 and 18%1,2,3,4,5. One community

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/nairhha-day-2020/
  • Hepatitis B Research Review: May

    … mRNAs. Additionally, viral mRNA 3' tails were longer than cellular ones, indicating slower net deadenylation. To check the mechanism of viral mixed tailing, the noncanonical poly(A) polymerases TENT4A and TENT4B were knocked down using siRNA. TAIL-seq showed a significant reduction of viral mRNA 3' tail guanylation in TENT4-knockdown cells. Additionally, the half-lives of HBV mRNAs were shown to decrease in TENT4-knockdown HepG2.2.15 cells as measured by RT-qPCR at intervals following the addition of the transcription blocker actinomycin D. In order to determine how HBV mRNAs recruit TENT4A and TENT4B, formaldehyde-based crosslinking and immunoprecipitation sequencing (fCLIP-seq) was employed on HepG2.2.15 cells. fCLIP-seq reveals what RNA sequences proteins bind to. In fCLIP-seq, formaldehyde is used to crosslink RNA-protein interactions. RNA-protein complexes are then "pulled down" using an antibody and run on a gel. The protein may then be degraded using proteinase K and RNA molecules may be sequenced. RNA sequencing reads from fCLIP-seq of the HBV genome were enriched in lysates pulled down using antibodies against TENT4A or TENT4B compared to input cell lysate and that pulled down using normal mouse IgG. Importantly, the greatest enrichment occurred specifically in the PRE region of HBV mRNAs. The group goes on to show that the sterile alpha motif (SAM) of ZCCHC14 binds to the stem loop ⍺ region of the PRE and recruits TENT4 proteins. This publication demonstrates that both HBV and HCMV have taken advantage of host mRNA transcription regulation to prolong transcript half-life. ZCCHC14, TENT4A, and TENT4B may be possible host targets for HBV or HCMV antiviral treatments.   Hepatitis B Virus DNA is a Substrate for the cGAS/STING Pathway but is not Sensed in Infected Hepatocytes - Viruses   This paper from the Paul Ehrlich Institute in Langen, Germany shows that HBV DNA is sensed by cGAS, but not in natural HBV infection of hepatocytes. Cyclic

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/hepatitis-b-research-review-may/
  • Special Film Screening: "Hilleman: A Perilous Quest to Save the World's Children"

    The Hepatitis B Foundation was excited to share a special film screening of Hilleman: A Perilous Quest to Save the World’s Children. Packed house at the film screening with opening remarks by Chari Cohen, DrPH, MPH The documentary film, produced by The Vaccine Makers Project, follows the unknown story of a man who “had more of an impact on [people’s] lives compared to Einstein.” The film tells the story of a courageous and gutsy scientist, Dr. Maurice R. Hilleman, and the elimination of diseases of children. With his unwavering determination, Dr. Hilleman invented the first-ever vaccine against a human cancer (the hepatitis B vaccine), developed the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) combination vaccine, and prevented pandemic flu. During World War II he developed an urgently needed vaccine for Japanese B encephalitis in 30 days.   The hepatitis B virus was also featured in the documentary. He is responsible for more than half of the vaccines children receive today and is credited with saving more than eight million lives every year. Now through exclusive interviews with Dr. Hilleman and his peers, rare archival footage, and 3-D animation, this new documentary puts a human face to vaccine science, revealing the character that drove this bold, complex, and heroic man. When parents began choosing not to vaccinate their children in the 1990s, a cruel irony became clear; Hilleman’s unprecedented successes have allowed us to forget just how devastating childhood diseases can be. The documentary reminds us by allowing us to see these diseases as part of the film. Chari Cohen, DrPH, MPH introducing the panelists. L-R: Timothy Block, PhD (Moderator), Donald Rayne Mitchell, David Oshinsky, PhD, Walter Tsou , MD, MPH, Paul Offit, MD Community members from Philadelphia and Bucks County came for the film screening as they enjoyed fun movie snacks. They also enjoyed a panel discussion moderated by Timothy Block, PhD, with the documentary director and esteemed

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/special-film-screening-hilleman-perilous-quest-save-worlds-children/
  • Two hepatitis B medications available free through Hepatitis B Foundation and Rx Outreach partnership

    Patients seeking tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) or entecavir at no cost, must meet the income eligibility requirements for Rx Outreach and enroll through a Hepatitis B Foundation web page, rxoutreach.org/hepb. St. Louis, Mo. – Dec. 6, 2021   Two national nonprofit organizations have announced a new venture to provide two of the most commonly prescribed medications for chronic hepatitis B at no cost to people in need. Hundreds of people across the country are expected to benefit from the program.     The Hepatitis B Foundation and Rx Outreach, the nation's largest nonprofit, online pharmacy, began working together in 2019, when staff from Hepatitis B Foundation asked Rx Outreach to add hepatitis B medications to the formulary. “At the time, nearly 20 percent of our phone calls were directly related to the rising cost of medicines. People were really struggling,” explained Chari Cohen, DrPH, MPH, senior vice president of the Hepatitis B Foundation. Rx Outreach added the two front-line medications for chronic hepatitis B infection – generic Viread® (tenofovir) and generic Baraclude® (entecavir) – and offered the medications at a discounted price. These medications will now be available free to a limited number of people referred to Rx Outreach by the Hepatitis B Foundation. The program is supported by donations. To receive tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) or entecavir at no cost, patients must meet the income eligibility requirements for Rx Outreach and enroll through a Hepatitis B Foundation landing page, rxoutreach.org/hepb.  A valid prescription is required. Once this is received, the medication will be mailed directly to the patient’s home. Rx Outreach serves all people regardless of their health insurance status or immigration status. The medications are available free for a limited time. Known for their exceptional attention to improving the quality of life for those affected by hepatitis B worldwide through education and patient advocacy, as well as their focus on finding a cure through research, the Hepatitis B Foundation is a global leader in the field. The organization is recognized for making great strides for this mostly overlooked and underfunded disease. “We are excited to continue our partnership with the Hepatitis B Foundation,” said Julie Erickson, President/CEO at Rx Outreach. “Their work not only improves access to life-saving treatment for people living with hepatitis B, but it also creates informative change within the field” Last year 988 people living with hepatitis B signed up through the Hepatitis B Foundation’s website to receive their medications at a discount from Rx Outreach. Rx Outreach carries more 1,000 free and low-cost medications for people who are uninsured or underinsured. “With rising food and energy costs, we know that some people will be forced to skip their medications. Our hope is that through our partnership, the people our organizations serve will have a higher quality of life by easing the burden of crucial medications.” said Bill Vatterott, marketing manager. About Rx Outreach: Rx Outreach is the nation's largest, non-profit, fully licensed, online pharmacy.  Missioned to provide affordable medication to the underserved, Rx Outreach partners with hundreds of clinics and organizations across the U.S. to provide a crucial health safety net for those who struggle with health issues and the high cost of medications. Since 2010, Rx Outreach has saved people more than $870 million on their prescription medications. Rx Outreach was named as one of the Top 5 “Best Online Pharmacies” by Money Magazine in 2020 and 2021. To learn more, go to www.rxoutreach.org or call 1-888-RXO-1234. About the Hepatitis B Foundation: We are 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. Founded in 1991, the Hepatitis B Foundation is based in Doylestown, Pa., with an office in Washington, D.C. To learn more, go to www.hepb.org and www.hepb30years.org, read our blog at hepb.org/blog, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@hepbfoundation) or call us at 215-489-4900. To donate, contact Jean Holmes at 215-489-4900 or jean.holmes@hepb.org.  

    https://www.hepb.org/news-and-events/news-2/new-patwo-hepatitis-b-medications-available-free-through-hepatitis-b-foundation-and-rx-outreach-partnership/
  • Can I catch hepatitis B from the vaccine?

    No. You cannot get hepatitis B from the vaccine because it does not contain any live virus or blood products. The vaccine is made from a synthetic yeast product in a laboratory. The most common side effects are redness and soreness in the arm where the shot is given. Find more Frequently Asked Questions here.  Page updated 02/09/2022

    https://www.hepb.org/what-is-hepatitis-b/faqs/can-i-catch-hepatitis-b-from-the-vaccine/
  • Roger's Story

    Roger felt he was in good health because he was active, worked out regularly, and had regular medical checkups. After a physical, Roger was surprised to learn he has hepatitis B. He set about researching the disease, and he discovered he had been infected as a child. His education also led to his family members getting tested and vaccinated to prevent infection. Roger began taking medication and is living healthier now than ever.    

    https://www.hepb.org/research-and-programs/patient-story-telling-project/rogers-story/

  • B型肝炎の血液検査  B型肝炎の血液検査はありますか？ 「B型肝炎血液パネル検査」と呼ばれるB型肝炎の検査があり、医師や診療所を介して注文することができます。血液検体は、病院で採取します。 この血液パネル検査は共通の3つの検査で構成されています。担当医師は、患者が最初に診察を受けてB型肝炎だと確定された6ヶ月後に、もう一度血液検査を受けるように指示する場合もあります。最近B型肝炎に感染した場合、血液中にウイルスが検出されるまで最大9ヶ月かかります。 B型肝炎の血液検査の結果がわかりにくく、本当にB型肝炎に感染しているのか、B型肝炎から回復したのか、あるいは慢性B型肝炎に感染しているのかどうか、診断結果を確かめたい場合もあるでしょう。 その場合は、血液検査の結果を書面で請求することで、検査の結果を詳しく知ることができます。 「B型肝炎の血液パネル検査」を構成する3つの要素とは何ですか？ B型肝炎の血液パネル検査で必要な血液検体は1つだけですが、最終的な診断を下すために検査を3回行う必要があります。 HBsAg（B型肝炎の表面抗原） HBsAb または抗HBs（B型肝炎の表面抗体） HBcAb または抗HBc（B型肝炎のコア抗体） B型肝炎の表面抗原（HBsAg）とは何ですか？  HBsAgの検査結果が「陽性」だと、「急性」または「慢性」のB型肝炎に感染していることを意味します。感染者は、血液を介してウイルスを他人に感染させてしまう可能性があります。 B型肝炎の表面抗体（HBsAbまたは抗HBｓ）とは何ですか？ HBsAb（または抗HBｓ）の検査結果が「陽性」だと、B型肝炎ワクチンが効果を示した、または急性B型肝炎から回復したことを意味します。この結果は（陰性のHbsAg結果と合わせて）、今後のB型肝炎感染に対して免疫がある（守られる）ことを意味します。 B型肝炎のコア抗体（HBcAb）とは何ですか？ HBcAbはB型肝炎ウイルスの一部を構成する抗体で、それ自体はウイルスから守ってくれるものではありません。HBsAb（または抗HBｓ）の検査結果が「陽性」だと、過去にB型肝炎に感染していた、あるいは現在感染していることを意味します。この検査結果の解釈は、その他の2つの検査結果によって異なります。保護表面抗体（陽性HBsAbまたは抗HBs）の出現は、過去に感染したことがあり、回復したことを意味します。慢性B型肝炎の感染者の場合、保護表面抗体はウイルスとともに出現します（陽性HBsAg）。 Hepatitis B Blood Tests Is there a blood test for hepatitis B? There is a simple hepatitis B blood test that your doctor or health clinic can order called the “hepatitis B blood panel”. This blood sample can be taken in the doctor’s office. There are 3 common tests that make up this blood panel. Sometimes the doctor may ask to check your blood again six months after your first visit to confirm your hepatitis B status. If you think you have been recently infected with hepatitis B, it can take up to 9 weeks before the virus will be detected in your blood. Understanding your hepatitis B blood test results can be confusing, so you want to be sure about your diagnosis – are you infected with hepatitis B, have you recovered from a hepatitis B infection, or do you have a chronic hepatitis B infection? In addition, it is helpful if you request a written copy of your blood tests so that you fully understand which tests are positive or negative. What three tests make up the "hepatitis B blood panel"? The hepatitis B blood panel requires only one blood sample but includes three tests that are needed to make a final diagnosis: HBsAg (hepatitis B surface antigen) HBsAb or anti-HBs (hepatitis B surface antibody) HBcAb or anti-HBc (hepatitis B core antibody) What is the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)?  A "positive" or “reactive” HBsAg test result means that the person is infected with the hepatitis B virus, which can be an "acute" or a "chronic" infection. Infected people can pass the virus on to others through their blood. What is the hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb or anti-HBs)? A "positive" or “reactive” HBsAb (or anti-HBs) test result indicates that a person has either successfully responded to the hepatitis B vaccine or has recovered from an acute hepatitis B infection. This result (along with a negative HbsAg result) means that you are immune to (protected from) a future hepatitis B infection. What is the hepatitis B core antibody (HBcAb)? The HBcAb is an antibody that is part of the virus- it does not provide protection. A "positive" or "reactive" HBcAb (or anti-HBc) test result indicates a past or present infection. The interpretation of this test result depends on the results of the other two tests. Its appearance with the protective surface antibody (positive HBsAb or anti-HBs) indicates prior infection and recovery. For chronically infected persons, it will usually appear with the virus (positive HBsAg).

    https://www.hepb.org/languages/japanese/bloodtests/
  • Xuan's Story

    Sitting in the doctor’s office and acting as an interpreter for her Vietnamese-speaking father, 12 year-old Xuan found out that he has hepatitis B. With the support of family, doctors, and healthcare workers, Xuan’s father started to learn about the virus and take control of his life. Xuan is now an advocate for multilingual resources to address hepatitis B, particularly in her local Vietnamese community. Xuan's story is available in English and with Vietnamese subtitles.   English   English with Vietnamese subtitles

    https://www.hepb.org/research-and-programs/patient-story-telling-project/xuans-story/