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Hepatitis B Basics
The cause of up to
80% of liver cancer
cases worldwide
????
“A silent
killer”
10X more common and
100X more infectious
than HIV
Hepatitis B is…
Inflammation of the liver caused by infection by the
hepatitis B virus (HBV).
A Healthy Liver
o Major role in metabolism and detoxification
o Fights against infections and controls bleeding
CHRONIC Hepatitis B is…
A life-long disease.
Once infected there is NO cure.
It can cause:
Liver
failure/cirrhosis
(scarring)
Liver cancer
And ultimately,
premature death!!!
Even if you feel perfectly healthy…
o You could still be
chronically infected with
HBV
o Most people with chronic
HBV infection have no
symptoms
o Blood tests for liver
enzymes are often normal
Chronic HBV infection:
A Silent Killer in API Community
Transmission:
B.B.S
Hepatitis B is spread through…
Blood
Birth
Sex
Transmission Myths:
Water
Saliva
Air
Hepatitis B
is NOT
transmitted
through:
Breastfeeding
Food
Sharing
utensils
Who does HBV affect?
1/3 of the world’s population has been infected at one point in
time. That’s 2 billion people!
350- 400 million people worldwide are chronically infected.
That is 1 in 20 people!
Compare this to the 35 million with HIV/AIDS.
Without appropriate monitoring or treatment,
1 in 4 with chronic hepatitis B will die of liver cancer.
This leads to 1-2 deaths every minute…
Why should Asians & Pacific
Islanders be concerned?
Asian & Pacific Islander Population
HBV is the greatest health disparity between API and
general population.
1 in 10 APIs is chronically infected with HBV,
compared to 1 in 1,000 for Caucasian Americans.
1-1.5 million affected in the United States
1 in 12 Korean-Americans
1 in 10 Chinese-Americans
1 in 8 Vietnamese-Americans
WHAT SHOULD I DO?
Get Tested!
o Simple blood test
o Hepatitis B surface antigen test (HBsAg)
o Positive (+): has hepatitis B
o Negative (-): does not have hepatitis B
o Hepatitis B surface antibody test (HBsAb)
o Positive (+): has immunity
o Negative (-): does not have immunity
“Silent Killer”
Remember, chronic hepatitis B usually DOES
NOT have any symptoms until it is too late.
Get tested today!
Get Vaccinated!
o If you are:
Hepatitis B surface antigen (-) & hepatitis B surface
antibody (-), then you are susceptible and should get the
vaccine
o The first “anti-cancer” vaccine - CDC
o Confers life-long protection “3 for life”
1st
shot
2nd shot
(1 month later)
3rd shot
(5 months later)
Total: 6-month, 3 shot series
Get Treatment!
o If you have chronic hepatitis B:
o There is NO cure, but hepatitis B can be managed
o Everyone is different; discuss treatment with doctor
o Important regular check-ups
o ALT for liver damage and AFP for liver cancer, 6
months
o Ultrasound, 12 months
o Can still live a long and healthy life with appropriate
monitoring and treatment
UNITE AGAINST HEPATITIS B:
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Protect Your Liver
o If you have chronic hepatitis B, you should also:
o Avoid drinking alcohol
o Get the hepatitis A vaccination
Protect Your Family
o Spread the word!
o Make sure family members are tested and
vaccinated
o Expecting mothers can protect their newborns by
making sure that their doctors administer to their
newborns the necessary shots!
Mothers with chronic hepatitis B
can protect their babies
o Her newborn should be given two shots:
o The first shot of the 3-shot hepatitis B
vaccine AND
o The HBIG (hepatitis B immunoglobulin) shot
o
These need to be given within 12 hours of birth to prevent
transmission of hepatitis B.
All newborns in the U.S. should
receive the hepatitis B
vaccination and HBIG at birth!
People chronically infected with
HBV should…
Get screened regularly for liver cancer and liver
damage
Test
Screens For:
Frequency of Test
ALT
(alanine aminotransferase)
Liver damage
Every 6 months
AFP
(alpha-fetoprotein)
Liver cancer
Every 6 months
Ultrasound
Liver cancer
Every year
* Note: HBsAg and HBsAb tests
can be done at the same time
HBsAg test
positive
negative
HBsAb test
ALT
Every 6 mo.
Maintain regular
checkups
AFP
Every 6 mo.
Treatment
ultrasound
Every year
immunity!
vaccine
3 shots in 6 mo.
o avoid alcohol
o interferon
o get hep A shot
o lamivudine
o adefovir
Remember…
• Be informed
– 1 in 10 API are infected with hepatitis B
– “Silent killer”
– Transmitted through BBS
• Most common mode: Mother to child
• Protect yourself
– Get tested
– Get vaccinated
– Get treated
• Protect & educate your family
• Join the Jade Ribbon Campaign
• Unite against hepatitis B and liver cancer!
The Jade Ribbon Campaign
•
Launched in 2001
•
Mission: Increase awareness about
hepatitis b and provide ethnicsensitive health information to API
community
•
Jade = Longevity and good luck
•
Folded in shape of “person” to
represent all voices united against
hepatitis B and liver cancer.
UNITE AGAINST HEPATITIS B
GET INVOLVED