Help us save lives today!
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A common question among people living with hepatitis B and their families is, "What happened to the cure for hepatitis B?"
You can find answers in a new commentary by Dr. Timothy Block, our Foundation's President and Co-founder; Dr. Chari Cohen, Senior Vice President; and Maureen Kamischke, Director of International Engagement.
This is installment one of a new series
, discussing the need for a cure, its role in eliminating hepatitis B and what it will take to get there.
Please read more
here
.
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Patient-focused Drug Development meeting online June 9; Please join us!
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Please join us for this first-ever externally led Patient-Focused Drug Development meeting on hepatitis B. We were approved by the FDA to host this convening, to hear directly from people living with hepatitis B and their families. If you or a loved one has hepatitis B, this is a chance to share how it impacts your life, and to share your thoughts on current and future treatment. You can register and read
more here
.
Those joining us on Tuesday, June 9, will be able to share their thoughts via phone and email comments. The email comment line is open now for those who can’t join us live for the June 9 meeting. The findings from this meeting can play an important role in the future development of new treatments and clinical trials!
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Thank you for helping make the Pajama Gala a success!
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The April 24
Pajama Gala
, which was our first virtual event, was a huge success! More than 250 people from around the world registered for the Gala and participants said they greatly enjoyed the hour-long online experience. Supporters pledged over $22,000 in response to a Mission Moment segment highlighting our work to help students battling discrimination.
Overall, the
“Pajama Gala”
raised more than $124,000 to support scientific research and the Foundation’s many programs to assist people living with hepatitis B, their families and their health care providers.
The Foundation honored
two luminaries
during the Gala. John M. Taylor, Ph.D., was presented with the Baruch S. Blumberg Award and Susana Lorenzo-Giguere, Esq., received the Community Commitment Award. Go to
www.hepbgala.org
to watch a recording of the event.
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May 26 webinar to feature Hepatitis B Foundation leaders
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In
recognition of Hepatitis Awareness Month, the FDA's Office of Minority Health and Health Equity will hold a free webinar on eliminating hepatitis B in Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities on Tuesday, May 26, at 2 p.m. EDT.
The webinar will feature our Senior Vice President Dr. Chari Cohen and our Deputy Director of Public Health Kate Moraras. They will discuss the challenges and barriers to hepatitis B screening and care, as well as multi-level strategies to eliminate hepatitis B-related health disparities. You can r
ead more and register
here
.
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Hepatitis Delta coinfection may be much higher than thought
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For decades, hepatitis delta, the dangerous coinfection of hepatitis B, was thought to only affect about 5-10% of the estimated 292 million people worldwide with chronic hepatitis B infections.
With limited data and funding for research related to this complicated virus, true prevalence data, diagnostic tools and skilled physicians to manage hepatitis B and delta coinfection have remained limited until recent years. Publications in 2019 by Miao, et al.; Chen, et al.; and Shen, et al., are helping to reveal a possibly more accurate picture of the burden of coinfection, conducting meta-analyses that comprises data from hundreds of thousands of hepatitis B patients and the general population.
While it was previously thought that 15-20 million coinfections existed globally, this new research suggests the number may be far greater, between 48-74 million. For more, please read our
blog post. For more information on testing, please
click here!
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David's story: #justB honest!
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David has alternated between not caring, being worried and wanting to ignore his
#hepatitis
B infection.
He was confused, attempted suicide, tried therapy and turned to opioids. It's been a "wild ride," but today he's healthy and coping with hepatitis B.
Please watch the video of his story
here.
Our #justB campaign is highlighting stories each month of someone affected by hepatitis B. View other videos and learn more about our campaign at
www.hepb.org/justb
.
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Prevention Policy Program launched, first manager named
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We have launched a new Hepatitis B Prevention Policy Program aimed at increasing adult hepatitis B vaccination rates in the U.S. The program will build and expand on our policy and advocacy initiatives and increase engagement with federal and state public health agency partners to improve hepatitis B prevention and vaccination infrastructure and strategies. The new Program Manager is Michaela Jackson, who has been on the Hepatitis B Foundation’s public health team since 2018. Read
more here
.
Michaela Jackson
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Public health staffer chosen as "Health Hero"
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To commemorate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations is highlighting Health Heroes, which they identify as "individuals who are committed to improving the health of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders." Rhea Racho, Hepatitis B Foundation Public Policy and Program Manager, is among this year's Health Heroes. Last year and in 2018 that honor was accorded to Foundation Co-founder
Joan Block and our Deputy Director of Public Health, Kate Moraras.
Rhea Racho
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You are invited to join our Twitter chat May 19
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Please join us in a
Twitter chat on Tuesday, May 19, from 2-3 p.m.
The hashtags will be #HepChat20 and #HepAware.
You can read about the topics to be covered and more in a blog post
here
.
O
ur featured partners are Hep B United Philadelphia, Hep Education Project, Hep Free Hawaii, Harm Reduction, Hep Free C Washington, Dr. Robert Gish, Kim Vu, Rick Nash and the Prevent Cancer Foundation.
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Become a HepB Champion Today!
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It’s easy to become a Champion! We rely on support from friends from all over the world to keep our programs and research going. By giving a small, monthly gift, you can help us find the cure and improve lives of people living with hepatitis B throughout the year! To become a Champion today, click
here
.
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Hepatitis B Foundation Journal Pick of the Month
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Diagnosis Rates of Chronic Hepatitis B in Privately Insured Patients in the US
Ogawa, Yeo, Dang, Le, et al,
JAMA Open Network,
April 9, 2020
The researchers found that, of the more than 100 million privately insured patients in the U.S. survey they analyzed, less than 19
% of patients with chronic hepatitis B had been properly diagnosed, which suggests that barriers to diagnosis may include both financial and nonfinancial challenges.
The article is posted
here.
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May 19 - U.S. National Hepatitis Testing Day
June 4 - Mala Maini, MD, Imperial College, London
Seminar: "Immunobiology of Chronic hepatitis B"
Jue 9 - FDA Patient Focused Drug Development Meeting
1-4 p.m.
ISVHLD Global Hepatitis Summit ... June 18-21
Taipei, Taiwan
June 18 - Scott Freidman, Ichan School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai
Seminar: "Mechanisms of NAFLD and Therapeutic Development"
June 30 - Marion Peters M.D., Stanford University
Bruce Witte Distinguished Lecture "Precision Medicine for CHB”
July 28 - World Hepatitis Day
Aug. 25-28 - EASL: The International Liver Congress
London
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Learn more about our Research & Programs
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The Hepatitis B Foundation is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to finding a cure and improving the quality of life for those affected by hepatitis B worldwide. Our commitment includes funding focused research, promoting disease awareness, supporting immunization and treatment initiatives, and serving as the primary source of information for patients and their families, the medical and scientific community, and the general public.
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Hepatitis B Foundation I 3805 Old Easton Road Doylestown, PA 18902 I
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