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  • The Hepatitis B Community Cringes As Vaccine Skeptics Take the Stage in Washington

    Image courtesy of Tuomas_Lehtinen at FreeDigitalPhotos.net By Christine Kukka In a profound blow to science, public health and the hepatitis B community, President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly asking Robert F. Kennedy Jr. -- who believes that vaccines cause autism -- to chair a national commission on vaccines. Countless studies show vaccines are safe and effective and do not cause autism. The hepatitis B vaccine alone has contributed to an 82 percent drop in this deadly liver disease in the U.S. since 1991. Before universal childhood immunizations became available, one in 20 Americans had been infected with hepatitis B. Sadly, that spectacular success has not quieted vaccine skeptics. It is heart-breaking to hear that an anti-vaccine activist may gain a public forum to promote his scientifically-unfounded opinions. If the hepatitis B vaccine had been available to my daughter and millions of others around the world at birth, there would be fewer people with chronic hepatitis B, fewer deaths from liver disease and cancer and far less anguish, fear and stigma. Vaccines safely and effectively prevent disease, and all of us who have been touched by hepatitis B can attest to their life-saving value. Let’s review the indisputable scientific facts about vaccines, and why this controversy has resurfaced. In 1998, the well-respected medical journal Lancet published a paper by researcher Andrew Wakefield and 12 of his colleagues linking a standard measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine and its preservative  thimerosal to autism. Despite its tiny sample size (just 12 children) and its speculative conclusions, the study was publicized and bolstered the anti-vaccine movement. The study proved to be a fraud. Editors of the Lancet later retracted the report, and additional investigations into the study found some of children in the study did even have autism. But the damage was done and hepatitis B vaccine makers and others scrambled to remove thimerasol from their

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/hepatitis-b-community-cringes-vaccine-skeptics-take-stage-washington/
  • Kate Moraras: Making Sure Federal Policies Work to Eliminate Hepatitis B Locally

    Kate Moraras, Hepatitis B Foundation senior program director and Hep B United director. By Christine Kukka It’s Kate Moraras’ job to make sure federal programs crafted in the elite halls and federal agencies of Capitol Hill are what's really needed to eliminate hepatitis B in Asian-American, African and other at-risk communities across the country. Simply put, her goal is to eradicate, "the most staggering health disparity facing immigrant communities." The people on whose behalf Moraras works are among the most vulnerable and powerless in the country. They include Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) and African immigrants who were infected at birth or by contaminated syringes or medical tools in their countries of origin. As senior program director at the Hepatitis B Foundation and director of the Hep B United national coalition for the past three years, Moraras has worked with federal officials and dozens of hepatitis community advocates across the country to align federal policy with the need of diverse, hard-to-reach communities. “I have always been drawn to systems-level change and I saw public health policy as a key area where there are opportunities to make an impact,” she explained. She was energized by the prospect of finding solutions that would improve healthcare at the individual and community level, and she obtained her master in public health at George Washington University. After graduation, Moraras learned about hepatitis B when she was working on AAPI health disparities in the federal government. “Then, my uncle found out he had chronic hepatitis B when he tried to donate blood,” she recalled. Suddenly, what had been a matter of political injustice became a personal cause and she began working at the foundation. Moraras knows federal policies don't succeed unless they make a difference on the streets of America. “Grassroots and culturally-focused organizations are pivotal to eradicating hepatitis B because they know their

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/kate-moraras-making-sure-federal-policies-work-eliminate-hepatitis-b-locally/
  • Global Researchers Brainstorm Solutions in the Search for a Cure for Hepatitis B

    Timothy Block, cofounder and president of the Hepatitis B Foundation and the Baruch Blumberg Institute, discussed reducing hepatitis B surface antigen production as a strategy to stop chronic hepatitis B infection at the workshop. By Christine Kukka Liver specialists, virologists and immunologists from around the world met at the 3rd International Workshop on a Hepatitis B Cure in Toronto last week to share their advances and brainstorm solutions to the challenges they face as they hunt for a cure for the liver infection that affects 240 million worldwide. Eradicating hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is no easy task. HBV is a far more complicated and resilient virus than hepatitis C, and scientists predict a cure will require a careful orchestration of drugs and immune-enhancing treatments that could: Eliminate HBV antigens—especially the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). This viral protein appears able to "exhaust" or disable the immune system’s T cells so they’re unable to effectively fight the infection. Find a vulnerability in the HBV replication cycle that can be exploited to keep the virus from entering liver cells and inserting its genetic material (cccDNA) required for viral reproduction. Enhance or “wake up” the exhausted T cells, after HBsAg is reduced or eliminated, so the immune system can successfully eradicate the HBV-infected liver cells. As researchers learn more about why HBV is so successful at evading the immune system and hijacking liver cells for viral production, they are also realizing how much they don’t know and what tools they lack to identify if and when they find successful treatment strategies. Here are some of the challenges the researchers addressed during the day-long brainstorming session. Panelists (left to right) Jordan Feld of the Toronto Western Hospital Liver Center, Stephen Urban, head of Translational Virology at Heidelberg University Hospital, Harry Janssen, head of the Toronto Centre for Liver Disease,

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/global-researchers-brainstorm-solutions-search-cure-hepatitis-b/
  • How Much Do You Really Know About Sex and Hepatitis B? Take This Quiz and Find Out

    Image courtesy of Vichaya Kiatying-Angsulee at FreeDigitalPhotos.net. By Christine Kukka It’s Sexual Health Awareness month and a great time to test your knowledge about how hepatitis B is -- and isn’t -- spread sexually. We know hepatitis B is easily transmitted through sex. It's a resilient virus, can live for up to a week on a dry surface and it’s 50- to 100-times more infectious than HIV.  In fact, sexual contact is the most common way hepatitis B is spread in the United States. So let’s see how much you know: I’m in my 20s and can safely assume everyone has been vaccinated against hepatitis B, so I don’t have to disclose my infection.   True or False? False. New hepatitis B cases have indeed been steadily declining since the vaccine was introduced in the 1980s, but not everyone has been vaccinated. Here's proof. As a result of the heroin epidemic sweeping through rural America, new hepatitis B infections have risen for the first time in decades among 20- and 30-year-olds who were not lucky enough to be immunized during childhood. Oral sex doesn’t transmit hepatitis B.   True or False? It’s complicated. There are no confirmed reports of hepatitis B infection resulting from oral sex, but there’s still a risk for infection. If you have a high viral load (HBV DNA), you may still be putting partners at risk of infection if they have bleeding gums, mouth sores, or anything that increases the likelihood of infectious fluids entering their bodies. Bottom line, oral sex has a lower risk of spreading hepatitis B than other sexual practices, but some risk remains. And don’t forget, other sexually-transmitted infections such as  chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis are spread through oral sex. Using a condom or dental dam reduces infection risk. Image courtesy of photostock at FreeDigitalPhotos.net. An uninfected woman is at higher risk of catching hepatitis B from an infected male partner, than an uninfected man who has sex with an infected

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/much-really-know-sex-hepatitis-b-take-quiz-find/
  • 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/
  • Rachel Wen-Juei Jeng, MD

    Rachel Wen-Juei Jeng, MD, PhDProfessor, Chang Gung Memorial Hospita, Linkou branch, TaiwanDeputy director, Clinical Trial Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou branch, Taiwan Dr. Rachel Jeng received her M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from the National Yang-Ming University College of Medicine. Dr. Jeng is a physician scientist in Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou main branch, Taiwan whose  research interests mainly focus on hepatitis B natural history and treatment, particularly finite strategy and the improvement of treatment efficacy. She is also dedicated in novel antiviral agents clinical trials for chronic hepatitis B. She is also involved in translational studies and aims to investigate the interaction between HBV and host immunity to understand the possible mechanism underneath the clinical presentation. 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/rachel-wen-juei-jeng-md/
  • Adama's Story

    After suspecting something was wrong for a while, Adama’s mother passed away without a diagnosis or treatment. It wasn’t until 10 years later, when Adama tested positive for hepatitis B and experienced the same symptoms, that he realized his mom had suffered from the same virus. Adama is now managing his hepatitis B and receiving treatment but is concerned about the low awareness of hepatitis B in his community. Adama's story is available in English, French, and Mandingo.   English French Mandingo

    https://www.hepb.org/research-and-programs/patient-story-telling-project/adamas-story/
  • #justB Discussion Guide

    Our #justB stories were created by and for people living with and affected by hepatitis B. The Hepatitis B Foundation and StoryCenter are sharing them to provide information and raise awareness about hepatitis B issues in the United States and globally. We invite you to share the stories as an educational tool and to promote discussion.  Please download our Discussion Guide to help you as you lead discussions on our videos. Enter your contact information on the form to this site in order to receive our guide. We ask that you refrain from screening or selling stories for commercial gain. Please also be sure to acknowledge the Hepatitis B Foundation and StoryCenter as the producers of these materials.  Thank you for your interest in our #justB Discussion Guide! Check your email for a link to the guide.  Thank you for requesting our #justB Discussion Guide. Click here to access the guide. If you have any questions, please contact us at info@hepb.org.   

    https://www.hepb.org/research-and-programs/patient-story-telling-project/justb-discussion-guide/
  • MD's Story

    MD grew up in Vietnam and learned at age 12 that she has chronic hepatitis B. She kept this information to herself until she came to the United States to attend college. After attending a student conference, she wondered why people with various health conditions keep them secret. She decided eventually to tell her roommates, and is gradually coming forward to speak about living with the virus. MD's story is available in English and Vietnamese.   English   Vietnamese

    https://www.hepb.org/research-and-programs/patient-story-telling-project/mds-story/
  • U.S. Vaccine Laws and Resources

    State HBV Vaccine Laws and Resources States all across the country are establishing hepatitis A and B vaccine requirements for entry into daycare, elementary and middle schools to help stop this silent infection. For a list of each state's hepatitis B vaccine laws, visit Hepatitis B Prevention Mandates, which is regularly updated by the Immunization Action Coalition as new laws are passed. For a list of each state's hepatitis A vaccine laws, visit Hepatitis A Prevention Mandates, which is also regularly updated by the Immunization Action Coalition. Other Vaccine Resources Where to Get Vaccinated in the U.S. https://www.vaccines.gov/getting/where/index.html (Currently this link is dedicated to the COVID-19 vaccine.)  State and Local ResourcesYou can always call your state/local health department to find out how much the vaccine costs and ask about any additional resources. The CDC's list of state and territorial health departments is here.  CDC Immunization Hotline 800-CDC-INFO(800-232-4636)TTY (888) 232-6348 Contact CDC-INFO Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) Federally Qualified Health Centers are community-based health care providers that receive funds from the HRSA Health Center Program to provide primary care services in underserved areas. Children's Hospital of Philadelphia - Vaccine Education Center Accurate, easy-to-understand vaccine information from the nation's leading pediatric hospital.  Information about vaccines, vaccine safety, and parent concerns is provided. Immunization Action Coalition Useful information about vaccines, recommendations, state laws, and educational materials. "IAC Express" is a free weekly email newsletter. MEDLINEplus Health Information A goldmine of reliable health information from the world's largest medical library of medicine, the National Library of Medicine. This database is maintained in collaboration with the NIH. PATH’s Vaccine Resource Library Gathers the world’s best immunization resources - including HBV - in a single, easy-to-use website with a wide variety of high-quality, scientifically accurate documents and links. Vaccines for Children Program (VFC) The VFC is a federal program that buys vaccines for children who meet certain requirements. Doctors can obtain vaccines for their patients who qualify by joining the VFC program in their state. There is no charge to doctors or patients for these vaccines.  Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting (VAERS) Information about how to report a vaccine adverse event. VAERS is a cooperative program for vaccine safety between the CDC and the FDA to collect information about adverse events (possible side effects) that occur after the administration of U.S. licensed vaccines. Vaccine Information for the Public and Health Professionals Comprehensive immunization information for parents, patients, and the media, including links to photographs and video clips.  WHO Position Paper on Hepatitis B Vaccines  WHO: Guidelines for the Prevention, Care and Treatment of persons with Chronic Hepatitis B infection (section 10.1, pg. 87-89) WHO List of Prequalified Vaccines    Pentavalent Vaccine: Guide for Healthcare Workers 

    https://www.hepb.org/prevention-and-diagnosis/vaccination/u-s-vaccine-laws-and-resources/