Hep B Blog

Tag Archives: Hepatitis B Outreach

Hepatitis B Diagnosis & Monitoring, Hepatitis B Prevention

Join the Fun! We’d Love Your Help!

There’s a contest going on and we’d love your help! Facebook is having a little competition to see who can get the most “likes” on their facebook page.  The Hepatitis B Foundation wants to help jump-start Hep B Free Philadelphia’s Facebook page, and help them win “facebook Ad cash” in the process.  What will Hep B Free Philly do with those Facebook  Ad dollars? Well, Hep B Free Philly will use those Ad dollars to possibly raise donations, but perhaps more importantly, it’s another way to use one of our favorite social media channels to help promote hepatitis B awareness.

Here’s what you need to do….

  • Visit Hep B Free Philadelphia’s Facebook page and like their page. The like button is at the top of the page.
  • That’s it!  If you really want to help Hep B Free Philly win, ask your friends or family to “like” the page.  It’s that simple!
  • Use the little “Facebook share button” at the top of this blog to share it with your facebook friends!
  • This little competition ends March 31, 2012, so please don’t delay!

While you’re there, feel free to check out the page and see what Hep B Free Philadelphia’s community-owned public health campaign is doing in Philadelphia to educate and raise public awareness, along with increasing testing and vaccination in the fight against hepatitis B and liver cancer.  You can also check out Hep B Free Philly’s website! They’ve got a lot of great activities going on!

Finally, the Hepatitis B Foundation also joined the competition. At this time our facebook page has 684 “likes” of our page! We’d like to win some of those free Facebook Ad dollars and see how we can use them to  raise HBV global awareness.  So, if you haven’t already, be sure to “like” HBF’s Facebook page!

Thanks!

Hepatitis B Prevention

Reflections from Hep B Free Phildelphia’s HBV Screening Event – CHOP site

Last week ended with an exciting city-wide hepatitis B screening event in downtown Philadelphia.  This event was sponsored by the Hepatitis B Foundation and Hep B Free Philly as part of the Hep B Free Philadelphia campaign. Hospitals included Hahnemann University Hospital, Thomas Jefferson University, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), and Albert Einstein Medical Center.  Naturally each site was a little different and had their unique challenges. Throughout the four sights there were Hepatitis B Foundation and Hep B Free Philly volunteers, and 100 college-student volunteers. Student volunteers were a mix of pre-med and medical students, public health students, tutors in Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Spanish and French, and students interested in doing community out-reach. Twenty community –based organizations were also involved in order to reach out to high risk communities throughout the city of Philadelphia.  During this event, 200 at-risk participants were screened for hepatitis B. Those participants that do not have HBV will be invited to receive their free HBV vaccine.  This info will arrive in the mail with their test results.  Those with HBV will be provided with a linkage to care.

I thoroughly enjoyed my participation at the CHOP location. Although I was not involved in the planning and set-up process, it was clear that the logistics involved in making this multi-screening event come to fruition was extensive.  Testing sites needed to be secured. Community out-reach needed to be done long in advance in order to reach out to high risk communities. Supplies were purchased and carted (via a red-wagon at the CHOP site!) to the various sites. Phlebotomists were hired for the day. Student volunteers were organized. At CHOP, our French translators were essential in making the screening event work.  It was great to see the students take an active part in the event. Some went off campus and distributed flyers. Others manned the give-away desk.  A number of volunteers helped patients with paper work and translations, while a number of students directed and maintained the flow of traffic from one station to the next.  All volunteers worked to make the operation run smoothly.

During the CHOP screening event, participants received their paper-work and went into the auditorium and answered screening questions, signed consent forms, and filled out their self-addressed envelope for their test-results.  Paper work was reviewed by volunteers for signatures and accuracy, and appropriate labels were placed on paper work and tubes by Chari and Jessie – a very tedious process. One small tube of blood was drawn by highly qualified phlebotomists.  Since we were at CHOP, our expertise included pediatric phlebotomists and smaller, pediatric tubes, and tiny needles for kids.  From experience I can tell you this is a real bonus! We did not have many small children screened at our site, but we were happy to accommodate those little ones that were screened.  Each child also got a sticker, a band-aid and a coloring book and crayons following their screening or the screening of their parents.  Water and crackers were available for all that were screened, and each family got a “B A Hero” tote bag.

Following the blood draw, participants were invited back into the auditorium to learn more about hepatitis B, whether it was to address specific questions or in small or larger group presentations.  This is where I spent most of my time.  The majority of participants screened at CHOP were African immigrants. Most were French speaking, so the need for a French translator was essential to our outreach mission.

In the past I have enjoyed providing HBV training in China, but this is my first time working with the African Immigrant population.  It’s always a pleasure to work with different ethnic communities.  In Philadelphia, the prevalence numbers of those with HBV are between 8% and 13% in the African Immigrant community, so getting the HBV basics across is very important in this community. One man was quite empowered by what he learned and asked if he could take some of our HBV information sheets home so he could distribute them to friends and neighbors. We also had a religious leader come for screening at the very end of the event. Hopefully he will bring his message back to his faith community, and it will encourage others to be screened at another time. It doesn’t get any better than that!

Personally, I found the screening event a very rewarding experience. Hep B Free Philadelphia is committed to continutedl outreach and screening in the Philadelphia area for those that missed last week’s event and would like to be screened. Please check it out if you are local and interested in volunteering.  If you’re not local, you might find a Hep B Free organization in your own city.  Get involved!  B A Hero! Save lives! Stop Hepatitis B!

Visit: www.bfreephilly.org

Check out: Reflections from the 10/22 Screening  Event at Thomas Jefferson University

Hepatitis B Advocacy

Viral Hepatitis Meetings in D.C.

Last week was an eventful week for this HBV blogger.  I was fortunate to be able to attend the National Viral Hepatitis Technical Assistance and the National Viral Hepatitis Round Table (NVHR) meetings in Washington D.C. last Tuesday and Wednesday. These meetings were followed by Capitol Hill visits on Thursday by viral hepatitis advocates to their legislative offices.

In attendance at the meeting were state viral hepatitis coordinators from around the country, other state health department personnel, government representatives from various agencies and organizations, and numerous viral hepatitis advocates from various non-profit organizations. It was a great opportunity to meet colleagues from all over the country dedicated to combating viral hepatitis in the United States.

Please keep in mind that my background is patient oriented, and that I do not have a master’s degree in public health, nor do I have experience working in the public health system.  Keeping up with the political front is challenging as is keeping up with the public health system. I’m still trying to figure it all out. Both have their own language and acronyms. After a couple of days of meetings, I have a great deal of respect for those working in public health at both the federal and state level.  I also have a great deal of respect for those working to push policy on behalf of viral hepatitis. There’s always more to learn, but you can still make an impact by jumping in and getting involved at a number of different levels.

A couple of messages were loud and clear at the meeting and you didn’t need to be an expert to understand them. Perhaps the biggest message is that funding for viral hepatitis public health programs is very limited and the burden is well beyond the level of funding.  This comes as no surprise since these are difficult times for both state and federal government programs.  This lack of funding will require that all health departments, government organizations and agencies, advocacy groups and non-profits pull together using what I call the 3-C’s:  communication, coordination, and collaboration.  Don’t forget to be creative, resourceful and wrap it all up with a coordinated IT system.

What was nice about this forum is that people were able to see what was going on in other states.  Bringing people together infuses new information into the group, while creating relationships where people want to help one another.  This is imperative if we are to address viral hepatitis needs with a minimal budget. One viral hepatitis coordinator reminded people during a break-out session that there are small pots-of-money out there, but you’re going to have to be creative when looking for grant opportunities.

Chris Taylor from the National Alliance of State & Territorial Aids Directors (NASTAD) asked me, and others to do a video-taped interview where I was asked about my personal hepatitis B story. This was a great way for me to make a contribution, and I was happy to help. Telling your story can be a compelling way to raise awareness and get involved.

Natalie Cole was in D.C. doing a press conference promoting her “Tune In to Hep C” campaign. NASTAD arranged for her to make an appearance at the NVHR meeting.  It’s always great to have a celebrity figure to promote a cause and raise awareness with the general public. They are able to reach so many people at one time!

Thursday’s Capitol Hill visits were a great opportunity for viral hepatitis advocates to get in front of their own Representatives in Congress, or their state Senators. Each person on the visit brought her talents to the table.  Some were up on politics, policy and the process, while others dealt with the hepatitis at the public health level.  Finally, there are people like me that are most familiar with hepatitis B on a personal level.

The meetings made it clear that we all need to collaborate and be creative if we are going to combat viral hepatitis.  Americans living with viral hepatitis may be wondering what Washington or their home-state is doing about viral hepatitis.  Things are being accomplished.  Based on the Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, we have the HHS Action Plan for the Prevention, Care & Treatment of Viral Hepatitis that was introduced last May.  Planning and process is currently being written around the plan.  People are in place and they are working hard, but the system and its processes are huge, complicated, and slow moving.  It is certainly not a perfect system, but we can all contribute at some level to make this an issue important to those that do drive policy, and ultimately fund programs.

Where do you fit in?  If you are in policy or public health you know you have a big job ahead of you, but it is essential that you keep looking for ways to move the system more effectively and efficiently. If you’re living with HBV, you might think you can’t make a contribution, but that is not true. This is where “arm-chair advocacy” comes in.  Not everyone is going to head to D.C. to meet with their Senator or Congress person. However, you can make your voice heard.  Visit your representative when she is home for constituent work week.  A simpler, but equally effective alternative is to write, call, email or tweet your Representative or Senator.  Let your Representative know that you are living with hepatitis B, and that you want him to support viral hepatitis legislation. Use your voice and make your vote work for those living with HBV in your state!

Hepatitis B Diagnosis & Monitoring

B A Hero…Free Hepatitis B Sreening Day!

Hep B Free Philadelphia is putting on a city-wide “B A Hero” free hepatitis B screening day on Saturday October 22, 2011. Free hepatitis B screenings will be available at the following hospital sites:

  • Jefferson – Focusing on the Chinese community and will be a bi-lingual event
  • Einstein – Focusing on the Cambodian community and others, and will be a bilingual event
  • Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) – Focusing on the African community and the screening of entire families, including kids.  Event is bi-lingual (French/Haitian Creole)
  • Drexel – Focusing on the Chinese and Korean communities.  Event will likely be tri-lingual.

Please join us.

B sure and B tested

All screening and education is Free!  Fun give-aways for everyone screened!

 All test results are private and will be mailed to the individual.

 

Hepatitis B Advocacy

Hepatitis B Carriers Need Not Apply: Discrimination in China

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Please take look at this video on HBV discrimination in China.  This isn’t a new story for China, rather an ongoing problem. Despite the high numbers of HBV infected persons living in China, discrimination is rampant.  One in ten Chinese carry the hepatitis B virus. The range of HBV discrimination in China is vast.  Life changing opportunities are lost due to rejection: rejection from school, lost employment opportunities, and even lost love, all due to HBV carrier status.  Even simple, every-day routines like meals with friends and family are impacted. Many of those infected are expected to eat separately, or carry their own bowl and chopsticks.  This is due to widespread ignorance on how HBV is transmitted.

An HBF friend told me Lei Chuang, the student in the video who was rejected from a top post-graduate University program due to his HBV status, is a very popular.  Evidently he is a very visible and admired anti-HBV discrimination activist in China.  Lei Chuang suspended his post-graduate studies in order to campaign against HBV discrimination. One of his on-going projects is an invitation to dine with the Chinese Premier. Every day he sends one letter to the Premier – 151 letters and counting. That takes a lot of courage.

Lu Jun is the director of the Beijing Yirenping Center.  He has been actively fighting discrimination in China, along with providing education, outreach and patient counseling.  His organization works tirelessly to defend the rights of those living with HBV by providing legal support for anti-discrimination lawsuits. He was also pivotal in creating the Chinese HBV internet forum, www.hbvhbv.com, creating a critical link between nearly half a million Chinese subscribers. (Keep in my that social media outlets such as facebook, twitter and Youtube are blocked in China.) Lu Jun is also a friend of the Hepatitis B Foundation, and joined us for our patient conference in June of 2008.

Having witnessed HBV discrimination in China, first-hand, I can tell you that I admire these men, and all others willing to take a stand and actively fight discrimination in their country. Not everyone is able to find their voice in this fight, so the sacrifice of these individuals is to be commended. However, whether outwardly speaking out or quietly behind the scenes, it is imparative that we all do our part to help raise HBV awareness.

Uncategorized

A World Hepatitis Day Message from Dr. Philanbangchang, WHO South-East Asia

This World Hepatitis Day message by Dr. Philanbangchang, WHO South-East Asia addresses some of the many challenges of viral hepatitis in the South-East Asia region, and also applies to other areas of the world.

However, it is interesting to first note some fast facts specifically about hepatitis B…

 

 

  • The statistics on hepatitis B are staggering.  Two billion people worldwide have been infected with HBV.  That’s one in three people globally, and one in twenty in the U.S..  Four hundred million are chronically infected, and approximately two people die each minute as a result of hepatitis B.
  • Hepatitis B is transmitted through blood and bodily fluids.  It is readily transmitted from mother to child at birth, and children born with HBV have a 90% chance of life-long infection.
  • HBV is called the silent epidemic because it is often asymptomatic. Many have no idea how they acquired the virus.
  • Sadly, HBV leads to terrible discrimination and stigma throughout the world.  Family members, workers, and children are shunned and opportunities are denied.
  • Hepatitis B is not curable, but there are excellent treatments available. However, not everyone needs to be treated, but everyone needs to be monitored.
  • The good news is that hepatitis B is vaccine preventable.  Children must be vaccinated at birth to prevent the transmission from mother to child, and people at high risk must be screened before they are vaccinated.  The HBV vaccine does not work if you are already infected with HBV, but it will protect family, sexual partners and household members.  It would be great if the HBV vaccine were universally recommended, available and funded…
  • Practicing simple standard precautions is another way to prevent the transmission of infectious disease – especially those diseases for which there are no vaccines.  If you have hepatitis B, it is best to avoid coinfection with other infectious diseases such as HCV and HIV.  Practice safe sex.  Do not share needles and follow basic prevention methods.
  • With a safe and effective HBV vaccine, good treatments with new treatment protocols on the horizon, it is our hope that hepatitis B will soon be eradicated.
  • It is essential that everyone know the FAQs about hepatitis B.  It is a preventable disease, and we all need to do our part to ensure we prevent the spread of HBV, and treat those living with hepatitis B with the compassion they deserve.

And now a message from Dr. Philanbangchang…

Viral hepatitis kills more people than any other communicable disease in the South-East Asia Region. In the next 10 years, over five million people in the region is projected to die from this disease and its consequences.

Today, more than 130 million people in South-East Asia alone, carry the hepatitis B or C virus, even though they may appear healthy. It usually strikes people at their most productive age.

The hepatitis B virus is 50 to 100 times more infectious than HIV, and just as lethal. Hepatitis E results in 2700 still births every year. For such a major public health threat, hepatitis has a low profile, among policy-makers and the public.

Recognising hepatitis as a threat to public health, the World Health Assembly passed a resolution to prevent and control the disease last year. The World Health Organization has decided to observe July 28 this year as the world’s first ever World Hepatitis Day.

It is thus an opportune time to ask if we are doing enough to protect ourselves from this disease?

Many people recognise the symptoms of jaundice by the yellowing of the eyes and skin. Yet, jaundice is only the face of the disease and the common symptom for any of the four common types of viral hepatitis. These are easily contracted from drinking water to casual contact to sexual intercourse. Even then, not every infected person shows symptoms.

WHO is developing guidelines, strategies and tools for surveillance, prevention and control of this disease. Prevention and focussing on the source and mode of spread of the virus, is crucial to control this disease.

Chronic hepatitis B and C are among the leading causes of preventable deaths in 11 countries of the region. About 100 million hepatitis B carriers, and 30 million hepatitis C carriers, live in South-East Asia.

However, about 60 percent of the infected are unaware of their status until the disease manifests as cirrhosis or liver cancer – an aggressive cancer without a cure. Hepatitis C, in particular, has no vaccine or effective cure. Those who undergo blood transfusion, as well as injecting drug users, are at risk.

Due to lack of knowledge and resources among healthcare workers, many providers in the region do not comply with WHO’s and national guidelines and recommendations for hepatitis B and C screening, prevention, treatment and follow-up services. A patient requiring transfusion may receive blood that has been screened for HIV, but not for hepatitis B or C.

The hepatitis B vaccine can go a long way to prevent hepatitis B. It is more than 95 percent effective in preventing infections and their chronic consequences, and is the first vaccine that protects against a major human cancer. In WHO’s South-Asia Region, more than 130 million infants have received the three required doses of hepatitis B vaccine.

Hepatitis infection is also linked to personal hygiene, sanitation and urban health – hepatitis A and E are both commonly spread through eating or drinking contaminated food or water. Pregnant women are at high risk of hepatitis E. Hepatitis E acquired during pregnancy is also associated with prematurity, low birth weight and an increased risk of perinatal mortality.

In countries of WHO’s South-East Asia Region, more than 6.5 million people are infected with hepatitis E annually accounting for half the cases worldwide, leading to an estimated 160 000 deaths.

Hepatitis E outbreaks often occur in urban areas when leaky underground water pipes are contaminated with sewage. In developing countries, with increasing population pressure and rapid urbanisation leading to people living in close, unsanitary conditions, such diseases are likely to increase rapidly.

So what can be done to prevent and control hepatitis?

To begin with, all countries, especially those urbanising rapidly, need to make hepatitis a health priority. Lives could be saved through simple preventive measures such as hand washing, eating cooked food and boiled water, using condoms and not sharing needles.

Countries need to make screening of all blood and blood products for hepatitis B and C mandatory. Governments should ensure that children are adequately immunised against hepatitis B. Healthcare workers, and the public, need to be educated on the risks and the surveillance system for hepatitis needs to be strengthened.

Unless we act now to create greater awareness among policymakers, healthcare workers, and the public, viral hepatitis will remain a major public health threat.

Dr Samlee Plianbangchang
Regional Director
WHO South-East Asia

 

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

Got Hepatitis B? Share Your Favorite Liver Specialist with the HBV Community

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Do you have a favorite liver specialist that you’d like to share with the Hepatitis B Foundation and friends living with HBV?  Friends with HBV live all over the globe, and we are interested in liver specialists with Hepatitis B treating experience from all over.  Pediatric patients are a special sub-population with special treating needs, too.  We’d love to hear from all of you!  Here’s what we’re looking for…

The Hepatitis B Foundation maintains a database of liver specialists that have experience treating patients with HBV.  Based on your recommendations, we would love to extend an invitation to your liver specialist to participate in our directory of liver specialists.  If your liver specialist replies, we will add his/her name to the list.

We’ve had some wonderful, new HBV friends on facebook from Africa and other continents, and we would encourage all of you to send us your liver specialist’s contact information.  Our international database is a little sparse, so we really need your input!  This would also include parents of children with HBV that are living abroad.  So, if you’ve got experience with a treating specialist that you’d like to share, you can be sure others will benefit from your advice.

Here is what the Hepatitis B Foundation needs to know:

  • Residing country
  • Adult or pediatric specialist
  • Liver specialist’s name and contact information  – including name, address, telephone number and email address (if available)
  • Anything else you’d like to share!

Email this important information to directory@hepb.org .  Please keep in mind that the information you provide is offered as a courtesy to others in the HBV community.  Your name will not be associated, and the addition of your physician does not make you responsible in any way.  This is not a physician referral service, but rather an opportunity for those living with HBV to share resources.  (Please note the disclaimer.)

Thanks to all who participate.  The entire HBV community benefits from your input!

 

Hepatitis B Advocacy, Hepatitis B Diagnosis & Monitoring, Hepatitis B Prevention

Gearing up for World Hepatitis Day!

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World Hepatitis Day is July 28th!  What are you doing to raise awareness and educate others about hepatitis B?  I asked this on HBF’s facebook page, and a friend from Ghana wondered what he could do to help raise awareness.  Another friend replied about his concern with HBV in Malawi.

When you consider the scope of hepatitis B, globally, it is indeed sobering.  Statistically, two billion people have been infected with hepatitis B worldwide, and 400 million are chronically infected.  Don’t let these numbers discourage you from your efforts.

When I returned from China in 2003, my heart was heavy with the burden the Chinese people experience on a day-to-day basis, living with HBV.  At the time I was providing infectious disease training for specific groups of Chinese people, but of course in the scheme of things, the outreach effort seemed minimal when compared to the burden.  I had to focus my efforts one-person-at-a-time.  I couldn’t let the sheer numbers discourage me from my mission to educate and raise HBV awareness at any level.

If you have the money or the connections to do something in a big way, that is wonderful.  Then many will benefit from your contribution.  However, I think it is important to note that hepatitis B education and awareness is fundamentally carried out at a grassroots level, where small numbers of individuals band together to make a difference.   Organizations like the Hepatitis B Foundation are crucial due to their ability to reach out and impact larger numbers of people through research, outreach, education and increased HBV awareness.  Utilize their website, social media channels and outreach to gain and share educational information, and help raise awareness.

So what can you do as an individual?  First thing you need to do is get educated on viral hepatitis.  There is much confusion among people about how HBV is transmitted.  If you mention hepatitis B, someone will invariably say, “oh yes.  My uncle got that from eating contaminated food!”  Well, he did get NOT hepatitis B from food!  Know the ABC’s of viral hepatitis, and eliminate these myths.  Hepatitis B is not spread casually, or by sharing a meal, hugging or kissing someone with hep B.  However, HBV is non-discriminating, and we are all vulnerable if we are not vaccinated.

Learn the facts about HBV.  Know some of the statistics, and how it is transmitted.  Know the difference between an acute infection vs. a chronic infection.  Know that 90% of adults will clear an acute infection, while 90% of infants infected will surely live with hepB for life.  Be sure safe injection and medical practices are followed in health care settings.

To raise awareness and eliminate confusion, you don’t have to know the details of surface antigens, antibodies or how to interpret blood test results.  You can look that up on HBF’s website!   This detailed info comes with time.  Start with the hep B basics.  If you are educated, you can educate others.

Learn about the HBV vaccination.  Know that if you are in a high risk group, you should be screened before you are vaccinated.  The vaccine doesn’t work if you already have hepB!  If you are not infected, then get vaccinated.  Let everyone know why vaccination is necessary.  Encourage pregnant women to be screened for HBV.  Ninety percent of  mother-to-child transmission of HBV can be eliminated by ensuring an infant receives a birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine, followed by the other two shots in the series.  If HBIG is available to newborns of infected mothers, that is even better.

Many believe that hepatitis B will not affect them because they may not have symptoms. They do not realize HBV is a silent epidemic.  They may not realize the importance of their non-complaining liver, and how HBV can destroy it over time.

If you or loved ones have HBV, be sure you are vaccinated for Hepatitis A.  Take care of your liver and abstain from alcohol and tobacco use.  Eat a healthy diet, and practice safe sex.  Practice standard precautions.  Use common sense!

Now for the outreach part… Depending on your hep B status, you might be reluctant to share your new found information with everyone.  Start with your family, friends and household contacts.  They may not understand the global significance of HBV.  It’s okay to start small.

If you’re ready to increase your effort, then reach out to your church, and your community.  Join with others and participate in local city or village health center and community awareness events.  Join an HBV support group, and if you’re interested, create a language specific group for your country.  Volunteer, speak out, and help educate the masses of people who are unaware that HBV is truly a silent epidemic.

Together we can make a difference!

Uncategorized

B A Hero Flash Mob Event!

Participants Perform a B A Hero Chant
What a pleasure and inspiration is was to participate in Hep B Free Philadelphia’s “B A Hero Flash Mob” event at City Hall, this week, in Philadelphia. It was great to experience the energy of the event through the many students and participants.

The group gathered at 11:30 to listen to brief messages from former Philadelphia Health commissioner Dr. Walter Tsou; current Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Donald Schwarz; along with Professor Raymond Lum, Drexel University School of Public Health; Chari Cohen, MPH, Associate Director of Public Health of the Hepatitis B Foundation, and Dr. Timothy Block, Volunteer President, Hepatitis B Foundation, and Professor, Drexel University College of Medicine, who addressed the group.  This was a great forum to raise awareness of Hepatitis B, and urge the public to be screened and vaccinated.

As the clock-ticked down to the final minutes, the sun beamed and particpants waited in anticipation to reveal their “secret” to the world.

Richard Liu, MPH, rallied the crowd….

“Everyone has a secret.
Someone you know has Hepatitis B.
You can fight hepatitis B and liver cancer.
Reveal your secret.
B A Hero!”

The bull-horn blew at noon, and the crowd stripped off their jackets and cover-ups, revealing their blue T-shirts emblazoned with a superman-like emblem with a big, red “B” in the shield, all the while chanting:

 “B A Hero!  Get Screened!  Get Vaccinated!”

B A Hero!

The crowd was charged with energy.  The chanting continued.  Some ran about with their B A Hero T-shirts, and red capes. 

One group of elderly adults quietly displayed their support, wearing their T-shirts.  Guest speakers were interviewed.  One group of students performed an educational, “Hep B Rap”.   

The message was clear.  Hepatitis B is a serious problem, and the public needs to be screened for hepatitis B.  There are effective drugs for those identified, and may be in need of treatment.  There is a safe and effective vaccine.  We need to ensure vaccination against hepatitis B for young and old, and especially those in high risk groups.

It was great to have media coverage at the event.  We were thankful to have KYW News Radio, CBS, Fox and ABC in attendance to help spread the word to a broader, listening group.  This was a wonderful event for Hep B Free Philly, the Hepatitis B Foundation, Hepatitis Awareness Month and the community.

Now it’s time to do your part.  Be an educator, and help raise hepatitis B awareness.  Be sure everyone you know has been screened and vaccinated for HBV. 

B A Hero today!

Baruch S. Blumberg Institute