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  • What Stands Between Your Family and a Deadly Disease? Safe and Effective Immunizations

    … states including an outbreak at Disneyland. Most who caught measles were not immunized. Now let’s look at hepatitis B. According to the CDC, new cases of the deadly liver infection hepatitis B have declined 82 percent since 1991, when universal childhood immunizations became available. Before that, an estimated one in 20 Americans got hepatitis B. Immunizations have been the medical miracle of the last century. Millions of lives have been saved. In observation of National Immunization Awareness Month this August, make sure your school- or college-bound children are up-to-date with their immunizations. And while you’re at it, check your own immunization record. No one is immune.

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/stands-family-deadly-disease-immunizations/
  • Celebrate Democracy and Inclusion on July 4, Because Building Walls Never Stops Disease

    Image courtesy of porbital, at FreeDigitalPhotos.net. By Christine Kukka As the United States celebrates its inclusive, democratic heritage this July 4, the world appears to be pulling apart, disregarding the health and welfare of tens of thousands of refugees. Civil unrest, extremism and poverty are causing thousands to flee the Middle East, Africa and other regions daily. Faced with this humanitarian crisis, some countries and politicians are advocating building walls instead of bridges. Britain has just voted to leave the European Union. Proponents of “Brexit” used fear-mongering and blaming outsiders and newcomers for slow economic growth to lure voters to sever their close ties with Europe. Building walls and ignoring the plight of refugees has terrible human and political consequences. For example, civil unrest helps speed the spread of diseases like hepatitis B around the world. According to estimates,  every year up to 16 million hepatitis B infections (along with 160,000 HIV and 4.7 million hepatitis C infections) result from unsafe injections, many of which are administered in refugee settlements and war zones. In addition to unsafe injections, children don’t get vaccinated against hepatitis B, contributing to the spread of liver disease. “Developing world conflict and mal-distribution of resources remain major contributors to the prevalence of blood-borne viral infection and affect the poor, the young, and the victims of rape in war,” Australian researchers wrote in an article on the impact of war and civil unrest on public health in the journal of Emerging Infectious Diseases. According to the United Nations High Commission on Refugees, an unprecedented 65.3 million people around the world have been forced from their homes, with 34,000 displaced daily. Among them are nearly 21.3 million refugees — half of whom are children. About 54 percent of today’s refugees come from Syria, Somalia and Afghanistan. All risk infection as they

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/celebrate-democracy-july-4-building-walls-never-stops-disease/
  • The Ugly Intersection of Prejudice, Immigration, and Hepatitis B

    By Christine Kukka Image courtesy of xedos4 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net. A few weeks ago, an ill-informed New England governor proclaimed illegal immigrants were bringing in infectious diseases, including hepatitis, HIV, and tuberculosis. Recently, similar anti-immigration, fear-mongering from presidential candidates has filled the airways. For hundreds of years, disease has been used as reasons to stop immigration to the United States. During the early 1800s, officials claimed the Irish brought cholera into the country. The Italians were believed to carry polio and tuberculosis was called the Jewish disease. In 1900, the Asian-American community in San Francisco was believed to be infected with bubonic plague that posed a threat to public health. Residents were subjected to mandatory injections with an experimental drug until a court order halted the local public health campaign. Throughout the 19th and 20th century, “politics was saturated with attacks on immigrants as diseased intruders to the body politic,” wrote American University history professor Alan M. Kraut in Foreign Bodies: The Perennial Negotiation over Health and Culture in a Nation of Immigrants. This dialogue led to revision of the 1882 Immigration Act to exclude, “persons suffering from a loathsome or a dangerous contagious disease” from entry into the United States. Today, prejudice, ignorance, and anti-immigration sentiment continues to affect public awareness, prevention, and treatment of hepatitis B. In the U.S., hepatitis B infects our most vulnerable residents, many of whom are new immigrants from Asia and Africa. Their access to proper healthcare, including immunization and screening and treatment for hepatitis B is hindered by poverty, lack of insurance, and limited access to culturally-competent healthcare. Today, one in 12 Asian-Americans has hepatitis B and two-thirds of them don’t know it. In addition to barriers, there remains the fear among immigrants that if they are found to

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/the-ugly-intersection-of-prejudice-immigration-and-hepatitis-b/
  • I keep hearing about a “Functional Cure” for chronic hepatitis B, what does this mean?

    New drugs in the research pipeline show promise of what researchers call a “Functional Cure.” New drugs or a combination of drugs will result in the loss of the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), which means there is no detectable HBV DNA (complete virus) or surface antigen (HBsAg or viral proteins) in the blood. This can occur with or without development of surface antibodies against the hepatitis B virus (HBsAb+ or anti-HBs+). A “functional cure” does not eliminate the stable, replicative form of the DNA of the virus that hides and combines with the DNA of the liver cells (called cccDNA). However, it should maintain long term suppression of the virus and reduce the risk of liver cancer even when treatment is stopped. Most importantly, a “functional cure” means that the new drugs would be taken for a finite amount of time rather than many years. You can find more information about a functional cure for hepatitis B in this video. Find more Frequently Asked Questions here.    Page updated 12/27/2022

    https://www.hepb.org/what-is-hepatitis-b/faqs/i-keep-hearing-about-a-functional-cure-for-chronic-hepatitis-b-what-does-this-mean/
  • Join Us for a Twitter Chat- Liver Cancer is Preventable

    October is Liver Cancer Awareness Month. Join the Hepatitis B Foundation and the National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable for a twitter chat, featuring hepatitis and liver cancer expert Dr. Robert Gish, at 2p.m. EDT Tuesday, October 20. Dr. Gish, professor consultant at Stanford University and medical director of the Hepatitis B Foundation and others will be chatting about liver cancer, hepatitis B and C prevention and treatment, health disparities, and resources for awareness and advocacy. Below are the topics that will be discussed during the chat. Please consider how you might wish to contribute to the conversation! Got any resources you might like to share? Q1 What is liver cancer and why is it so deadly Q2 What are the specific risk factors for liver cancer? Q3 What are some ways to help prevent liver cancer and hepatitis? Q4 What can be done to help prevent liver cancer for people living with chronic hepatitis B or C? Q5 What are the health disparities related to liver cancer and viral hepatitis? Q6 What can we do to raise awareness of viral hepatitis and liver cancer? Q7 What additional resources are available to learn more about viral hepatitis and liver cancer? Join the conversation with the hashtag #Liverchat Confirmed participants and handles for the chat include: Hepatitis B Foundation - @hepbfoundation National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable - @NVHR1 Dr. Robert Gish - tweeting from @LiverCancerConn CDC's, Division of Viral Hepatitis - @cdchep CDC National Prevention Information Network - @CDCNPIN Hep B United - @HepBUnited American Liver Foundation -  @liverUSA Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations - @HepBPolicy Latino Commission on AIDS - @LatinoCommAIDS Charles B Wang Community Health Center - @CBWCHC Caring Ambassadors - @CAP_HepatitisC Coalition Against Hepatitis For People of African Origin - @CHIPO_HBV National Black Leadership Coalition on AIDS - @NBLCA National Association of County & City Health Officials

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/join-us-for-a-twitter-chat-liver-cancer-is-preventable/
  • The Hepatitis B Patient Community Loses Its "Mom"

    Hep B List "parents" Sheree Martin and Steve Bingham at a 2005 patient conference. The hepatitis B community recently lost its much-loved advocate, resource and “mom,” Sheree Martin. She was co-owner of the Hepatits B Information and Support List from 1998 to 2011 and comforter and consultant to thousands of people around the world who live with hepatitis B. The reach of her kindness and wisdom cannot be under-estimated. In the early days of hepatitis B, when medical treatment was misguided and stigma ran rife, Sheree nurtured a safe, online community that provided reassurance and accurate medical information. For many, it was the first time they were able to share the confusion, loneliness and frustration of living with chronic hepatitis B with people just like them. The email list was created in 1998 at a time when there was nowhere to go to learn how to tell family members or loved ones about hepatitis B, or how to tell a child she was infected, or where to go for competent medical care. Sheree grew up in rural southeastern Ohio and faced a hardscrabble life. She had sparkling green eyes and a gentle Appalachian twang. Her no-nonsense demeanor and nurturing heart would help set the tone of the email list. Years earlier, at age 26, Sheree experienced fatigue and abdominal pain. “I kept wondering why I was so darned tired. Was it because I had been working at least two to three double-shifts a week as a nurse and had a young child?” she recalled in an interview several years ago. She was hospitalized and woke up in the isolation ward after doctors diagnosed her hepatitis B. That was her first taste of stigma. After she became pregnant, doctors urged her to get an abortion because of her hepatitis. Sheree persevered  and gave birth to twins. Eventually, growing bouts of fatigue and other symptoms forced her to leave nursing. She may have been home-bound, but she used her nursing experience, curiosity and writing skills to search online for hepatitis

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/the-hepatitis-b-patient-community-loses-its-mom/
  • Yuchen Xia, PhD

    Professor, Director, Institute of Medical Virology, TaiKang Medical School, Wuhan University Dr. Yuchen Xia is professor at Wuhan University and principle investigator of State Key Laboratory of Virology, China. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Biology Technology from Wuhan University in 2005. He then received a Master’s degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Science in 2008. After winning a Helmholtz scholarship, he spent six years in Munich, Germany. In 2013, with highest honor (summa cum laude), he earned a Doctor of Philosophy from the Technische Universität München. He then moved to the National Institutes of Health as a visiting research fellow. In 2018, he returned to Wuhan University as a professor. Dr. Xia’s work focuses on establishing hepatitis B virus experimental models, understanding cccDNA minichromosome and developing novel therapies. Read the journal picks of the month from our Emerging Scholars Scientific and Medical Advisory Board here.  

    https://www.hepb.org/news-and-events/reports/emerging-scholars-scientific-and-medical-advisors/yuchen-xia-phd/
  • Jacki's Story

    When Jacki learned that his brother’s liver cancer was caused by hepatitis B, he got tested and found out he had the virus, too. Later, his wife also found out she has hepatitis B. When she got pregnant, they did their research and were able to prevent mother-to-child transmission. Jacki and his wife are taking medication to manage their hepatitis B and have started a Taiwanese hepatitis B patient group. Today, all of their kids are are hepatitis B free, and Jacki’s brother is cured of liver cancer!  Jacki's story is available in English and Mandarin.   English   Mandarin

    https://www.hepb.org/research-and-programs/patient-story-telling-project/jackis-story/
  • Jin's Story

    When she was very young, Jinqiu’s mother told her she has a germ and that she shouldn’t touch anyone if she was bleeding. Later, Jinqiu disclosed to her entire class that she has hepatitis B. Her mother visited Jinqiu’s school to make sure everyone was aware of what it meant, for a student to live with the virus. Today, Jinqiu feels that it’s her responsibility to disclose to new potential romantic partners that she is hepatitis B positive, and each time she does this, she gains new confidence and strength.  

    https://www.hepb.org/research-and-programs/patient-story-telling-project/jins-story/
  • Commonly Asked Questions

    Yes, the hepatitis B vaccine is very safe and effective. In fact, it is the first  “anti-cancer vaccine” because it can protect you from hepatitis B, which is the cause of 80% of all liver cancer in the world. It only takes 3 shots to protect yourself and those you love against hepatitis B for a lifetime. With more than one billion doses given throughout the world, medical and scientific studies have shown the hepatitis B vaccine to be one of the safest vaccines ever made. 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. No, there is no need to restart the series. If the series is interrupted after the first dose, the second dose should be given as soon as possible, and the third dose at least 2 months after the second. If only the third dose is delayed, it should be given as soon as possible. If it has been years since you have been vaccinated, you  may need or may request an HBV surface antibody blood test to confirm that you are still protected. A person is considered protected if they have a positive anti-HBs or HBsAb test result greater than 10 mIU/mL. Sometimes these test results are under 10 and there is concern whether these low levels will still provide protection against HBV. Anti-HBs or HBsAb test results can decrease over time, but an individual can still be protected even if the test results are less than 10. If your test results are low, your doctor may recommend a booster shot or a repeat of the series. If you confirm you completed the vaccine series, you can get a booster dose of the vaccine. Your surface antibody level will be tested again 1 or 2 months after the booster. If the blood test result is greater than 10, then you are protected and will not require an additional booster shot in the future. (Ongoing studies show continued immunity for 30 years) If a booster shot does not result in a level greater than 10, then complete the remaining two-doses of the vaccine series and recheck the levels again after 1-2 months. Retain a copy of the titer test as proof of immunity. People who have a current infection or have recovered from a past infection receive no benefit from the HBV vaccine series, though there is no risk to receiving the vaccine series.  The United States Center for Disease Control maintains a database of locations that offer the hepatitis B vaccine. You can search for locations within the U.S. here: https://www.vaccines.gov/getting/where/index.html Vaccines are widely available in the U.S. at doctor's offices, community health centers, pharmacies, and other community locations. 

    https://www.hepb.org/prevention-and-diagnosis/vaccination/commonly-asked-questions/