(1 of 10)
May 15, 2008
MAY IS NATIONAL HEPATITIS AWARENESS MONTH

May is National Hepatitis Awareness Month in the U.S. The Hepatitis B Foundation (HBF) has put together a directory of activities going on around the nation in May at http://www.hepb.org/advocacy/awareness_month.htm

HBF would like to highlight the efforts of John Ellis, a young man who was diagnosed with chronic HBV infection in 2006. John has turned this news into an opportunity to raise awareness about hepatitis B and share a message of hope by biking 1,100 miles from Pensacola to Philadelphia. You can participate in John's journey by reading his blog or visiting the "Believe in the Cure" MySpace or Facebook pages. For more information, go to: http://www.hepb.org/believe_in_the_cure/index.htm
---------------------------------------------------------------

Return to top

(2 of 10)
May 15, 2008
INFORMATION ABOUT AND RESOURCES RELATED TO MAY 19 OBSERVANCE OF WORLD HEPATITIS DAY AVAILABLE ONLINE

[The following is cross posted from the Immunization Action Coalition's "IAC Express" electronic newsletter, 5/12/08.]

The first annual World Hepatitis Day (WHD) will be observed on May 19. The day has been launched in response to the concern that though 500 million people worldwide are currently infected with hepatitis B or C, the public is ignorant of the magnitude of these diseases. The great majority of those infected are unaware of the fact, and the world public is largely uninformed about infection risks. World Hepatitis Day is a worldwide patient-led initiative. It is coordinated by the newly established World Hepatitis Alliance in Geneva, Switzerland. The National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable has posted documents regarding WHD in the U.S. on its website.

For background information on WHD, go to: http://www.nvhr.org/resources.htm

For promotional materials, including website banners, a press release, and information about submitting a photo or patient story, go to: http://www.nvhr.org/NVHR_World_Hepatitis_Day.htm

On May 19, the official WHD website will become fully operational. Go to http://www.aminumber12.org on or after that date to view photos and stories from around the world.
---------------------------------------------------------------

Return to top

(3 of 10)
May 15, 2008
ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO HIGHLIGHT HEALTH DISPARITIES

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, and various organizations are using the occasion to highlight health disparities in the Asian Pacific Islander communities and to work for change.

(1) On May 5, the Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness Research and Training (AANCART), released a statement for the press about the "unique, unusual, and unnecessary cancer burden that continues to confront Asian Americans and what we are doing about it." This burden includes liver cancer resulting from chronic HBV infection.

To read the AANCART press release, click here.

The AANCART website includes links to cancer education materials from various organizations in multiple languages. To explore the website, go to: http://www.aancart.org

(2) The San Francisco Giants baseball club is celebrating Asian cultures and communities during games from May 12-17. The Chinese, Korean, Filipino, and Japanese communities each have a designated night at the ballpark featuring promotional items, special ticket offers, and entertainment and educational programs, including information about the San Francisco Hep B Free Campaign.

San Francisco Hep B Free is a citywide campaign to turn San Francisco into the first hepatitis B-free city in the nation. This unprecedented two-year campaign will offer hepatitis B screening, vaccination, and/or treatment to all San Francisco Asian and Pacific Islander residents by providing convenient, free, or low-cost testing opportunities at partnering health facilities and events. For more information, go to: http://www.sfhepbfree.org

As part of this campaign, California Assemblywoman Fiona Ma shared her personal story with the San Francisco Chronicle. Read the article here.

(3) The Asian Liver Center (ALC) sponsored its 3rd LIVERight 5K walk/run on May 10. For more information about ALC and its Jade Ribbon Campaign, go to: http://liver.stanford.edu

(4) The federal Office of Minority Health's website provides a clear overview of viral hepatitis statistics here. Specific information about the Asian Pacific Islanders American community's disproportionate burden of HBV infection can be found here.

For a list of more hepatitis B events, go to the National Task Force on Hepatitis B: Focus on Asian and Pacific Islander Americans' calendar at http://www.hepbtaskforce.org/events.htm
---------------------------------------------------------------

Return to top

(4 of 10)
May 15, 2008
CDC OFFERS NEW PODCAST ON HEPATITIS B AND ASIAN PACIFIC ISLANDER AMERICANS

CDC recently posted a podcast titled "Stopping the Silent Killer: Hepatitis B Among Asian Americans" on its website. This resource features Dr. John Ward, director of CDC's Division of Viral Hepatitis, and Dr. Sam So, founder of the Asian Liver Center at Stanford University, discussing the health threat of chronic HBV infection to many Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States and the importance of testing, vaccination, and care.

To access this podcast, go to: http://www2a.cdc.gov/podcasts/player.asp?f=8908

All CDC podcasts can be found at http://www2a.cdc.gov/podcasts
---------------------------------------------------------------

Return to top

(5 of 10)
May 15, 2008
NEW: MULTI-VACCINE VIS NOW AVAILABLE IN SPANISH, CHINESE, TAGALOG, HMONG, RUSSIAN, SOMALI, THAI, AND VIETNAMESE; HEPATITIS B VACCINE VIS AVAIALABLE IN THAI

Dated 1/30/08, the multi-vaccine VIS is now available in Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Hmong, Russian, Somali, Thai, and Vietnamese. The hepatitis B vaccine VIS is now available in Thai. IAC gratefully acknowledges the Minnesota Department of Health; the California Department of Public Health, Immunization Branch; and the Asian Pacific Health Care Venture of Los Angeles for these VIS translations.

Multi-vaccine VIS
To access Spanish version of the multi-vaccine VIS, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/sp_multi.pdf

To access Chinese version of the multi-vaccine VIS, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/ch_multi.pdf

To access Tagalog version of the multi-vaccine VIS, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/ta_multi.pdf

To access the Hmong version of the multi-vaccine VIS, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/hm_multi.pdf

To access the Russian version of the multi-vaccine VIS, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/ru_multi.pdf

To access the Somali version of the multi-vaccine VIS, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/so_multi.pdf

To access the Thai version of the multi-vaccine VIS, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/th_multi.pdf

To access the Vietnamese version of the multi-vaccine VIS, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/vn_multi.pdf

To access English version of the multi-vaccine VIS, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/vis_multi1.pdf

Hepatitis B vaccine VIS (interim)
To access Thai version of the hepatitis B vaccine VIS, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/th_hpb01.pdf

To access English version of the hepatitis B vaccine VIS, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/hepb01.pdf

NOTE: The interim VIS for hepatitis B vaccine comes in additional languages, including Spanish. To access them, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/vis/vis_hepb.asp Click on the link to the pertinent language.

For information about the use of VISs, and for VISs in more than 30 languages, visit IAC's VIS web section at
http://www.immunize.org/vis
---------------------------------------------------------------

Return to top

(6 of 10)
May 15, 2008
UPDATE: IAC REVISES THREE POPULAR IMMUNIZATION RESOURCES

[The following is cross posted from the Immunization Action Coalition's "IAC Express" electronic newsletter, 4/28/08.]

IAC recently updated three of its most popular immunization resources. They are the "Summary of Recommendations for Adult Immunization," "Vaccinations for Adults: You're NEVER too old to get immunized!" and "Are You 11-19 Years Old? Then you need to be vaccinated against these serious diseases!" Details follow:

On the "Summary of Recommendations for Adult Immunization," content changes were made to the sections on hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and human papillomavirus. Formatting and wording changes were made to other sections.

To access a copy of the revised "Summary of Recommendations for Adult Immunization," go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p2011.pdf

The section on human papillomavirus was changed on "Vaccinations for Adults: You're NEVER too old to get immunized!"

To access a copy of the revised "Vaccinations for Adults: You're NEVER too old to get immunized!" go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4030.pdf

The sections on human papillomavirus and influenza were changed on "Are You 11-19 Years Old? Then you need to be vaccinated against these serious diseases!"

To access a copy of the revised "Are You 11-19 Years Old? Then you need to be vaccinated against these serious diseases!" go to: http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4020.pdf
---------------------------------------------------------------

Return to top

(7 of 10)
May 15, 2008
NEW: CHILD/TEEN SCREENING QUESTIONNAIRE NOW IN SPANISH, ARABIC, CHINESE, FRENCH, KOREAN, RUSSIAN, AND VIETNAMESE

[The following is cross posted from the Immunization Action Coalition's "IAC Express" electronic newsletter, 4/21/08.]

IAC now offers its popular "Screening Questionnaire for Child and Teen Immunization" in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, French, Korean, Russian, and Vietnamese, in addition to English. Links to all follow.

For Spanish version of "Screening Questionnaire for Child and Teen Immunization," go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4060-01.pdf

For Arabic version of "Screening Questionnaire for Child and Teen Immunization," go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4060-20.pdf

For Chinese version of "Screening Questionnaire for Child and Teen Immunization," go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4060-08.pdf

For French version of "Screening Questionnaire for Child and Teen Immunization," go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4060-10.pdf

For Korean version of "Screening Questionnaire for Child and Teen Immunization," go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4060-09.pdf

For Russian version of "Screening Questionnaire for Child and Teen Immunization," go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4060-07.pdf

For Vietnamese version of "Screening Questionnaire for Child and Teen Immunization," go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4060-05.pdf

For English version of "Screening Questionnaire for Child and Teen Immunization," go to:
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4060.pdf

For a continually updated listing (in date order) of IAC's new and revised website materials, go to: http://www.immunize.org/new Click on "html" or "pdf" to view the pertinent resource.
---------------------------------------------------------------

Return to top

(8 of 10)
May 15, 2008
HBF AND AAPCHO TO PRESENT A CONGRESSIONAL LUNCHEON BRIEFING ON MAY 20

The Hepatitis B Foundation (HBF) and the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO) invite interested parties to a congressional luncheon briefing on May 20. "Zero Tolerance for Hepatitis B: The Health Needs of Women and Children" will be hosted by Rep. Michael Honda (D-CA) and Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA) and will feature several expert speakers. Special guest California Assemblywoman Fiona Ma will share her personal story regarding HBV infection.

The luncheon will take place in room HC-6 of the U.S. Capitol from 12:00-1:30 ET. Box lunches will be provided for the first 50 people.

For more information, go to: http://www.hepb.org/news/release_4_25_08.htm
---------------------------------------------------------------

Return to top

(9 of 10)
May 15, 2008
WEILL CORNELL MEDICAL COLLEGE AND THE CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF HEPATITIS C WILL SPONSOR A WORLD HEPATITIS AWARENESS DAY EVENT ON MAY 19 IN NEW YORK CITY

Weill Cornell Medical College and the Center for the Study of Hepatitis C are sponsoring a World Hepatitis Awareness Day event in New York City on May 19, from 6:00-8:00 PM ET. Speakers will review HBV, HCV, and HCV/HIV co-infection. Admission is free. For more information, or to RSVP, email spm2002@med.cornell.edu
---------------------------------------------------------------

Return to top

(10 of 10)
May 15, 2008
HEPATITIS FOUNDATION INTERNATIONAL TO SPONSOR 2008 VIRAL HEPATITIS HEALTH LEADERSHIP SUMMIT ON JUNE 20, IN BALTIMORE

The 2008 Viral Hepatitis Health Leadership Summit, a training opportunity for health professionals and others working with viral hepatitis, will take place June 20, in Baltimore, MD. This program is sponsored by Hepatitis Foundation International, and features experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, Harvard Medical School, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, and others.

For program details and registration information, click here.