Hep B Blog

Monthly Archives: February 2018

Hepatitis B Treatment

Journey to the Cure: What is the Future of the Hep B Cure? ft. Timothy Block, PhD

Welcome to “Journey to the Cure” This is a web series that chronicles the progress at the Hepatitis B Foundation and Baruch S. Blumberg Institute towards finding the cure for hepatitis B.

In the first episode (part 2), Kristine Alarcon, MPH sits down with Timothy Block, PhD, President and Co-Founder of the Hepatitis B Foundation, to talk about what a hepatitis B cure could look like in the future.

For any questions about hepatitis B, please email info@hepb.org

Disclaimer: The information provided in this audio post is not intended to serve as medical advice or endorsement of any product. The Hepatitis B Foundation strongly recommends each person discuss this information and their questions with a qualified health care provider.

Special Thanks:
Samantha Young

Music:
Modern – iMovie Library Collection

 

Script: 

Welcome to Journey to the Cure! Every month, we’ll sit down with scientists from the Hepatitis B Foundation and the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute to talk to you about hepatitis B and efforts to find a cure for hepatitis B. There’s still a long way to go, but we’re here to walk you through our journey.

Timothy Block, PhD:
The Hepatitis B Foundation is now largely devoted to basically outreach and what I call human services or being there for people. We wanted, however, to keep pressure on research communities – to make sure there was a research organization. The Hepatitis B Foundation created a second non-profit organization, originally called the IHVR, renamed in Dr. Blumberg’s honor after he passed away; and that’s the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute. And that’s a group of research scientists.

Kristine Alarcon, MPH:
What do we need in order to find a cure for hepatitis B?

Timothy Block, PhD:
Well, we need more research. We need focused research and the community’s kind of coming together with a consensus. The Hepatitis B Foundation organized that workshop, which we published research priorities. We call it the “Roadmap to a Cure.” The more scholarly, conservative title for that is a research agenda- research priorities. We believe that if you follow that roadmap or you follow those lists, we will be most likely- I don’t want promise anything- but we will most likely to find if not a cure, transformational new medicines. But, I’m hopeful that they’ll be one form of cure. So you follow that roadmap, and we should get there.

Kristine Alarcon, MPH:
Thank you so much. This has been very insightful on what it looks like for the cure in the future. Thank you again for joining us.

Timothy Block, PhD:
Thank you again so much for the opportunity and what I want the listeners to know that the Hepatitis B Foundation is at the forefront of this work. We were there 27 years ago. We were there through the times when hepatitis B was being forgotten. The cure for hepatitis C has brought new focus on the problem of hepatitis and we were- and we’re here now. We’re sitting in an office that is in a building that has the Hepatitis B Foundation outreach and advocacy staff of nurses and public health professionals. We’re also here with as I said with 100 scientists, who are focused on looking for a cure for hepatitis B. We’re working for the commercial community, working with the academic community. But we’re here stimulating the research, promoting workshops, promoting seminars, but also doing our own research. So I hope that you keep that in mind and know that there are- there are a group of people who remain very focused on it.

Kristine Alarcon, MPH:
Thank you so much for joining us and we’ll see you on the next episode.

Questions? Please contact us at info@hepb.org. 

 

Hepatitis B Advocacy, Hepatitis B Prevention, Living with Hepatitis B

Vlog: What Do We Do at a Hep B Screening?

Join Kristine Alarcon, MPH for A Day in the Life of a Public Health Coordinator to learn about some of the activities we at the Hepatitis B Foundation take part in!

This episode highlights our events for our local program, Hep B United Philadelphia, during January 2018. We show you the “behind-the-scenes” of a hepatitis B screening event.

Hepatitis B Diagnosis & Monitoring, Hepatitis B Prevention, Hepatitis B Treatment, Living with Hepatitis B

Raising Awareness about Hepatitis B in African Immigrant Communities in the US

Hepatitis B Foundation Health Outreach Coordinator and Guest Blogger Sierra Pellechio, B.S., CHES discusses her work with the African Immigrant community.   

Hepatitis B affects over 2 million people in the United States, disproportionately affecting Asian, Pacific Islander and African Immigrant (AI) communities in the U.S. Although partners around the U.S. have been trying to increase awareness and improve screening and linkage to care rates among high risk communities, there have been few programs designed to address the urgent need for intervention among U.S. AI communities. An estimated 5% to 18% of African immigrants in the U.S. are affected by hepatitis B, with less than 20% aware of their infection. However, since research and prevalence data specific to AIs are lacking, it has been difficult to understand the true burden of this disease. One thing we do know is that there are significant knowledge gaps and low screening and linkage to care rates in AI communities. If left undiagnosed, people with hepatitis B are at risk of developing liver complications, including cirrhosis and liver cancer, which can lead to premature death, making it vital to identify those affected. This is complicated by the fact that hepatitis B is a silent disease with few or no symptoms for decades.

Last year, the Hepatitis B Foundation, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and CHIPO (Coalition Against Hepatitis for People of African Origin) launched a pioneering project to create a broad scale educational initiative to promote hepatitis B awareness and testing for AIs across the United States.  The project aims to increase awareness, testing, linkage to care and vaccination among AI’s to align with the goals of the March 2017 “A National Strategy for the Elimination of Hepatitis B and C” by the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM). This strategy set the goal of eliminating hepatitis B as a public health threat in the U.S. by 2030.

Working with a diverse sixteen-member expert advisory committee comprised of African community leaders, providers, and public health experts from across the U.S., the first phase of this project assessed the individual, community, and society-level barriers that affect hepatitis B screening, vaccination, and linkage to care. Findings revealed that a potentially effective strategy for improving awareness and testing could involve first educating community health workers, who would then serve as trusted educators and advocates to promote education and testing in their communities. In collaboration with the advisory committee, the Hepatitis B Foundation is developing two training modules tailored to community health workers. The modules focus on providing basic hepatitis B information, addressing myths and stigma, and suggesting strategies for incorporating health messages into their work that are culturally and religiously relevant. These educational modules will have an accompanying audio recording, a comprehensive resource guide, and a flipchart for direct community education on hepatitis B. To ensure relevance and effectiveness, these materials will be pilot tested and revised prior to nationwide dissemination. Once the project concludes, resources and materials will be available on the Hepatitis B Foundation and CDC resource pages in early 2019.

If you are a community health worker working in the African Immigrant community and would like to connect, share resources, or learn more, please contact the manager of this project, Sierra Pellechio at sierra.pellechio@hepb.org.

Hepatitis B Diagnosis & Monitoring, Hepatitis B Treatment, Living with Hepatitis B

Hepp-B Valentine’s Day: What to do on Valentine’s Day when you have hepatitis B.

Happy Valentine’s Day!! Today is dedicated to celebrating love. Though it can be exciting, anxiety can creep up on this day too. Maybe you’re thinking about confessing your feelings to your crush? Or nervous about planning the best date ever? Maybe you’re timid about the holiday in general because of your hepatitis B status?

If you have chronic hep B, you may think that starting a relationship and initiating sex can be stressful and feel overwhelming. Questions like “What if we break up because I disclosed my status?” or “Can I even start a relationship with someone if I have a chronic disease like hepatitis B?” may be swimming in your mind. Doubt and anxiety may overwhelm your thoughts, but don’t forget that you’re more than your illness. You should not focus on things you cannot change. You are worthy of love and can live out that romantic story you always wanted because you have wonderful things to offer to a future love interest.

If you’re spending time with someone on Valentine’s this year or any day, it’s important that you remember to take precautions if your date leads to an intimate night. If you are living with hep B, properly wearing a latex condom keeps you safe from becoming co-infected with another infectious disease. No one wants a co-infection. It is complicated and potentially dangerous for you and your partner’s health. If your partner does not have hep B, then avoid infection by wearing a condom. Hep B is vaccine preventable, but hepatitis C, HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are not. Considering the health and safety of yourself and your sexual partners is paramount. You may not know what they have, and they may not know what you have.

Also, it is important to disclose your status before sex (even if it’s safe sex with a condom). You may jeopardize your partner’s trust (and their health) before the relationship deepens. Disclosing your chronic hep B status can be scary, but talking about it reduces the stigma surrounding the infection and may even prompt your partner to get tested or vaccinated if needed. If your partner is not understanding after you have explained your HBV infection, then you know that person was not meant for you, and not deserving of your love. There are other potential partners out there that will be understanding and loving. Do not let rejection discourage you!

Disclosure should be done calmly and carefully. It is important to do some research before you do disclose your hepatitis B status. Having a thorough understanding of hepatitis B can make it easier for you to explain it to a future partner. The more you know, the less scary and more comfortable it is to dispel fear, so that you can share your status with confidence and integrity.

Whether you think of today as Valentine’s or Single Awareness Day, remember that hep B is only a small part of who you are and should not be a reason for you to give up on loving someone. Remember that you are more than your chronic hep B! It’s only a part of you and does not define your entire life. You have so much to offer to your current or future partner!

Read our previous posts about dating and hepatitis B, advice for navigating the dating world for those with hepatitis B, disclosing your status on Valentine’s, loving safely on this holiday, and tips for disclosure (or a #justB video).

Hepatitis B Diagnosis & Monitoring, Hepatitis B Prevention, Living with Hepatitis B

Adoption and Hepatitis B

Have you been thinking about adoption for a long time or have been inspired by NBC’s show, This is Us, to adopt? Adoption is exciting! However, it can be nerve wracking and feel overwhelming. We at the Hepatitis B Foundation can help with one aspect of the adoption process – making sure you have accurate information about hepatitis B.

It is important to be armed with accurate information about hepatitis B when preparing for adoption for both international and domestic adoptions. This can help protect your future child, family members and yourself when you welcome your future child with open arms.

Many people wish to adopt children from countries where hepatitis B infections are common: Asia, South America, Eastern Europe, and some parts of Africa. Children from these regions could be infected with the virus since it can be unknowingly passed from birth mothers who have hepatitis B and transmit the disease to their children during delivery. In addition, many of these countries struggle with proper infection control practices that place babies and young children at risk with unsafe medical procedures. Unfortunately, many infants still do not have access to the birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine to help prevent transmission.

Domestic adoptions also present some risk. Children born to women in high-risk groups (e.g. illicit drug users, multiple sexual partners, etc.) could be exposed to hepatitis B at birth. In addition, children from group homes are at increased risk for hepatitis B infection. The good news is that there are procedures in place that can prevent a baby from getting infected if born to an infected mother – and the success rate is up to 95%! This includes providing the first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine along with a dose of hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG) within 12 hours of birth. If you are planning a U.S. adoption, and know that the birth mother is infected, you can ensure that the birth hospital knows about these procedures and can administer the shots on time.

During the adoption process, the adoption agency should tell you if your child has been tested for hepatitis B, but there can be errors if the child was tested only as an infant. With an international adoption, it is advised that you do not request that your child be tested since the blood test itself could be a source of infection. If you are concerned about the results of these tests, please contact us to speak with our knowledgeable staff. We can also refer you to a parent who has adopted a child with hepatitis B. Whether your child has been diagnosed with hepatitis B or not, testing for HBV should be repeated once you’re home. If needed, you can refer to our physician directory to find a pediatric specialist who knows about hepatitis B.

If you do find out that your child does have hepatitis B, you can handle it!Hepatitis B is a manageable disease. Many families seeking a “special needs adoption” choose to adopt a child with chronic hepatitis B because it is manageable and treatable. Hepatitis B is a vaccine preventable disease, so newly adopted children can be safely integrated into vaccinated families. Children with chronic HBV can expect to live a long and healthy life if they are monitored by a pediatric liver specialist. Some may need treatment during childhood, most probably won’t. Hepatitis B does not affect a child’s growth and development, and there are generally no restrictions associated with chronic hepatitis B. It is recommended that those with chronic hepatitis B see a pediatric liver specialist every six months for hepatitis B management. Often this entails only blood work to monitor the child’s HBV and liver health. Also make sure household members are vaccinated and that you talk to talk to all of your children about the importance of handwashing and “never touching anyone’s blood”. When your children get older, help them acclimate to dating and disclosure. The hepatitis B vaccine is required for school in all but four states.

For some tips, you can visit our website on adoption, children with hepatitis B, and one of our previous blogs. You can also watch some adoption stories from our #justB storytelling campaign. Be sure to watch Maureen’s, Maureen K’s, and Jin’s stories about the international adoption process with hepatitis B. You can also watch Janet and Kurt’s domestic adoption process. Please consider opening your home to an adopted child. It will change your life.

Baruch S. Blumberg Institute