Most people from Asia and the Pacific Rim become infected with HBV through transmission from infected mother to child at birth. The hepatitis B virus (HBV) is 100 times more infectious than HIV.
The greatest health disparity between Asian Americans and Caucasian Americans is liver cancer, 80% of which is caused by chronic hepatitis B virus infection.
One out of 4 people with chronic hepatitis B virus infection who became chronically infected during childhood will die of HBV-related liver cancer or cirrhosis. That’s 100 million of the 400 million chronic HBV infected people in the world.
In API men living in California, liver cancer ranks as a leading cause of cancer death: #1 in Laotian Americans, #2 in Vietnamese and Cambodian Americans, #4 in Chinese and Korean Americans, and #5 in Filipino Americans. (http://liver.stanford.edu/)
All newborns and children under 19 years of age in the United States are recommended to receive hepatitis B vaccination, particularly API children. The hepatitis B vaccine is free for children under 19 years of age through the federal Vaccines for Children program.
A vaccine and treatment options are available for hepatitis B, yet the prevalence rates in API Americans are staggeringly high. You as members of APAMSA, dedicated to improving the health and well-being of Asian Pacific Americans, can make a difference! If we as a nation of APAMSA chapters work together, we can collectively take action against an entirely preventable disease.
APAMSA's Hepatitis B How-to-Guide--The first ever Hepatitis B How-to-guide is complete with step-by-step instructions on how to conduct a screening, as well as in language materials, suggestions for educational events, and important community contacts. It an important resource for all chapters and the community.
Download it now!
Hepatitis B Community Screening Model--he purpose of constructing this model is to aid in the estimations of the potential long-term costs
associated with HBV screening programs, especially for patients that do not have insurance or
may require additional health and financial related services by not-for-profit organizations.
Please see the "Instructions" tab once you download the model for more information.
Please click here to download model.
APAMSA's fight to break the Hep B cycle starts with education. Our goal is for all chapters to educate medical students and local community members about the burden of hepatitis B in the API community. A variety of interactive tools are available on our website.
HepB Screening--Eliminating Hepatitis B requires that we identify those who need treatment and provide them with the resources they need to be properly treated. Click here to see a list of programs that are interested in APAMSA's help. This list is frequently updated. If you do not see a program in your area, please contact 
for more assistance.
