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  • Hep B and COVID-19: Resources for Individuals and Healthcare Workers

    Amidst the global challenges we are facing, the Hepatitis B Foundation remains a resource for our community and our partners. COVID-19 is a rapidly developing situation, and information about it’s impact on those living with liver diseases such as hepatitis B is still emerging. During this time, it is important to be prepared for all situations, including limited access to necessities. Below, we have provided several tips and tools to help you protect yourself and stay healthy.  Preparing for Quarantine or Self-Isolation To prevent transmission of the virus, countries around the world are instating protocols requiring individuals to stay home and to practice social distancing as much as possible. If you are currently on hepatitis B medication, it is important to make sure that you have enough medication for an extended period of time. Call your doctor and ask them to write a 90-day prescription for your treatment if they have not done so. The American Association on the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) reports that many insurance companies are waiving refill limits on prescriptions, so you can request additional medication at any time. As skipping a day of treatment may cause the virus to flare and increase the risk of liver damage, it is essential to speak with your healthcare provider about long-term medication access. If you had a doctor’s appointment scheduled during this time period, see if your doctor’s office is scheduling telehealth appointments or holding virtual meetings with their clients instead. Some services for those living with hepatitis B, such as ultrasounds or even blood work, may be delayed until further notice unless there is a cause for concern. You may want to consider scheduling a virtual meeting to discuss your situation and address any questions you may have about recent test results or concerning symptoms. Most telehealth services should be accessible directly from your phone if you do not have access to a computer.  It is also

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/hep-b-covid-19-resources-individuals-healthcare-workers/
  • Hep B Patient Engagement Survey: Help Guide The Future of Hepatitis B Therapies

    If you’ve ever wanted to help guide the future of hepatitis B treatments, now is your chance! The Hepatitis B Foundation has created a short survey that is designed to capture a comprehensive view of the patient experience. The survey, which takes approximately 20-25 minutes to complete, will be made available for use by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and drug development researchers to help clinical trial development for future hepatitis B therapies. All survey responses are anonymous.   All individuals living with chronic hepatitis B are welcome to take this survey! After answering a few standard questions, participants will be asked whether or not they are currently on treatment for hepatitis B. If they are on treatment, the survey will prompt the participant to answer a few questions about their experience with the medication, such as how it makes you feel to take it,  and what challenges you may face while taking your medication. All participants, regardless of their current treatment status, will have an opportunity to provide feedback on what they hope future medications will look like!  The patient perspective is essential to creating a treatment that is not only effective but something that those living with hepatitis B would be willing to take. Oftentimes, researchers do not have the opportunity to gather insight into what patients are looking for or how a therapy would impact their lives. This can result in missed dosages of a medication, or avoiding a therapy altogether, rendering the treatment ineffective. This survey is also unique because it seeks to capture the diverse experiences of global patients living with hepatitis B. As we want to ensure that new treatments are as universal as possible, gathering the thoughts of both international and national individuals will ensure that different voices and opinions are captured!  The survey is the first part of a multistep process to collect information on the patient experience. In the

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/hep-b-patient-engagement-survey-help-guide-future-hepatitis-b-therapies/
  • I Have Hepatitis B; Can I Get Married?

    At the Hepatitis B Foundation, we answer thousands of calls, social media messages, and emails a year from individuals affected by hepatitis B. One of the most common questions we receive is: If I have hepatitis B, can I still get married?  To put it simply, yes, a person living with hepatitis B can get married. In fact, a healthy relationship can be a source of love and support for those who may feel alone in their diagnosis. Transmission of hepatitis B can be prevented in your partner; it's a vaccine preventable disease! Keep in mind that hep B is common in many parts of the world. When properly tested, people often learn they too are living with chronic hep B or that they have recovered from a past infection. A hepatitis B triple panel blood test (HBsAg, HBcAb total and HBsAb) will let your partner know if they have a current infection, have recovered from a past infection and whether or not they need to be vaccinated.  Future children should also be vaccinated starting as a newborn to help prevent transmission, especially if the mother is hepatitis B surface antigen positive (HBsAg+)! If your partner is waiting for the vaccine or is unable to be vaccinated for some reason, there are other precautions that one can take to prevent transmission: practice safe sex by using a condom, properly wrap all wounds, clean up any spilled blood with gloves and a fresh solution of 1 part bleach to 9 parts water, and don’t share sharp personal items (razors, toothbrushes, nail clippers, and body jewelry). This list may seem like a lot, but they are mostly things that we do every day without thinking much about it!  Physically, there are no barriers that prevent an individual living with hepatitis B from getting married. The question often stems from a place of fear that is fueled by the stigma and discrimination around them. Oftentimes, we give fear too much power in our lives. It can control our actions and cause us to isolate ourselves. It’s important to remember that

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/hepatitis-b-can-get-married/
  • Hepatitis B is NOT A Genetic Disease - And Here's Why

    … contact with mucous membranes (“wet skin”) of the eyes, ears, nose, and mouth of the infant A number of different factors play a role in determining if a newborn will contract hepatitis B from their mother: the mother’s viral load levels, the mother’s knowledge of her infection, and if the newborn receives post-exposure prophylaxis. Post-exposure prophylaxis is the key to preventing mother-to-child transmission and consists of two parts: the first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine and hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG). Both shots need to be administered 1) in two different limbs and 2) within 12 hours of birth in order to be as effective as possible. Once the shots have been given, the infant should complete the standard hepatitis B vaccine schedule in order to ensure that they are protected for life! *Please note that HBIG is not recommended by WHO, so it may not be recommended or available in all countries. Commonly Asked Questions:  It can be difficult to understand facts when they do not align with what you have been told for many years, so we’ve answered some of the most common responses to our information below:   If it is not genetic, how is it sexually transmitted?   This question goes back to the topic of genes. A genetic disease differs from a sexually transmitted disease because of where the virus is hosted during transmission from one individual to another. A genetic disease is given to a person via cellular DNA while a baby is developing in the mother’s womb. Sexual transmission occurs because the virus is present in blood and sexual fluids and can be transmitted through very tiny, microscopic tears as a result of sexual intercourse. 2.  If it’s not genetic, why do multiple members of my family have it?  Families tend to share objects - and that’s okay! However, sharp objects like earrings and body jewelry or personal care items like razors, nail clippers, or toothbrushes, can make tiny, microscopic cuts and abrasions in our skin

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/hepatitis-b-not-genetic-disease-heres/
  • We're Here to Help: New Resource to Improve Medication Access in the U.S.

    Are you a hepatitis B patient living in the United States? Are you taking entecavir or tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) to help manage your hepatitis B infection? Thanks to the Hepatitis B Foundation’s new strategic partnership with Rx Outreach - America’s largest fully licensed, non-profit, mail order pharmacy and Patient Assistance Program - you may be able to receive your medication for less than 5% of the average retail price! Each year, we answer thousands of national and international phone calls, emails, and social media messages from people who have been impacted by hepatitis B. Over the past year, we have seen a significant increase in calls regarding access to medication. The majority of those calls have been from people living in the United States. The ability to access medications is more than just having them available at a local pharmacy - it is about the price as well. In the United States, life-saving generic treatments can cost more than $830 a month on average. As treatments are typically taken for several years after a person begins, paying such high monthly out-of-pocket costs simply isn’t an option for most people. That’s why we partnered with Rx Outreach to increase patient accessibility to life-saving hepatitis B medications. We believe that affordable treatments should be low-cost and widely available to everyone who needs them. Hepatitis B antiviral treatments need to be taken daily in order to be effective, and a lack of affordable options force some individuals who are living with chronic hepatitis B to avoid diagnosis and treatment, to stop taking medication or to only take it sporadically, which increases their risk of developing cirrhosis or liver cancer. Our new partnership can help eliminate the need for such potentially harmful actions by providing the same medication at a much lower cost than retail pharmacies, pharmaceutical companies, and insurance plans can offer. Rx Outreach provides a 30-day supply of entecavir and

    http://www.hepb.org/blog/7036-2/