Hepatitis B

The Untold Story of a Silent Killer

About Hepatitis

 The word “hepatitis” means inflammation of the liver  Hepatitis B (HBV) is a virus that infects liver and causes liver cirrhosis and liver cancer

Silent Killer

 Most people with HBV do not have any symptoms until it is too late  1 in 4 adults with chronic HBV will die from liver cancer or liver cirrhosis (WHO)

 HBV is transmitted by contact with blood or body fluid from an infected person  There are 10x more people with chronic HBV than HIV/AIDS worldwide (WHO)  HBV is 50-100x (WHO) more infectious than HIV  HBV can survive outside the body for at least 7 days (WHO)

Health Disparity

 HBV disproportionally affects Asian and Pacific Islanders (API)  1 in 10 Asian American has HBV.

 Liver cancer is the 2nd most common cause of cancer death in Asian men

Perinatal Transmission

 Most infections occur from mother to child  Over 90% of babies infected during the first year of life develop chronic infection (CDC)  20,000 hepatitis B infected women give birth each year in U.S. (CDC)

HBV Vaccination

 Newborns born to infected mothers should be vaccinated (1 st dose vaccine + HBIG) within 12 hours of birth  3 vaccine doses: month 0, 1, 6

 Hepatitis B has been vaccine preventable since 1982  Yet, 1 person still die every 30-45 seconds of HBV-caused liver cancer and liver failure  It is a silent epidemic!

Adrian Elkins

 Adopted as an infant from India  Received HBV vaccination upon arrival to U.S

 Diagnosed with HBV only when he was dying from liver cancer at 20-years-old http://www.hepb.org/patients/personal_stories_adrian.htm

Mark Lim, MD

 Diagnosed with HBV at 26-year-old, but was told by a doctor to not worry since he was a "healthy" asymptomatic carrier  Diagnosed with advanced liver cancer 31-years-old at  Died before 32 nd birthday http://www.sfweekly.com/2002-05-01/news/dying-to-know/

HBV Worldwide

    2 billion people worldwide (1/3 world population) have been infected with HBV (WHO) 350 million people worldwide have chronic (lifelong) HBV (CDC) 1 million people die each year from liver disease and liver cancer (CDC) Every 30 –45 seconds, one person dies from the vaccine-preventable HBV

HBV in the U.S.

 1.2 million (CDC) Americans have chronic HBV  More than half are APIs  5,000 Americans die each year from hepatitis B-related liver disease (CDC)  $700 million costs (CDC) in medical and work loss

What Can You Do?

 Get educated about HBV  Get tested for HBV  Get protected with HBV vaccine

Break the Silence

 Read Know HBV brochure  Talk to your family, friends, colleagues, patients, and general public about HBV  Write to House of Representatives to support Viral Hepatitis and Liver Cancer Control and Prevention Act of 2009 (HR 3974)

References

 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hepatitis Branch http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/HBV/index.htm

 World Health Organization http://www.who.int/immunization/topics/hepatitis_b/en/index.

html  Asian Liver Center at Stanford University http://liver.stanford.edu/  Team HBV Collegiate Chapters http://teamhbv.org

 USF Asian Pacific Medical Student Association http://hsc.usf.edu/medstud/apamsa/hepatitis.html

For General Public

 Hepatitis B Foundation http://www.hepb.org/  American Liver Foundation www.liverfoundation.org

 Tampa Bay Hepatitis & Liver Disease Support Group http://thechancecenter.org/  Hillsborough County Epidemiology Program Perinatal Hepatitis B Prevention Program (PHBPP) http://www.hillscountyhealth.org/epi/epi_main.htm

For Health Professionals

 Physician’s Guide to Hepatitis B http://liver.stanford.edu/Public/pguide.html

 CDC Interpretation of Hepatitis B Serologic Test Results http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/HBV/ProfResourcesB.htm

 CDC Recommended Doses of Hepatitis B Vaccines by Age Group and Vaccine Type http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/HBV/HBVfaq.htm#recctbl  CDC Recommendation for Routine Testing and Follow-up for Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/HBV/ProfResourcesB.htm

 Continuing Medical Education Courses on Hepatitis B http://www.hepb.org/learning_guide/cme_course.htm

 The Florida Hepatitis Prevention Program Presents: Hepatitis 101 Training http://www.doh.state.fl.us/disease_ctrl/aids/hep/

 Website: http://hsc.usf.edu/medstud/apamsa/  Email: [email protected]