September 18, 2008
Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, D-San Francisco, said at news conference in San Francisco Chinatown's Public Health Center today that she is the one out of every ten Asian-American and Pacific Islanders that carry the Hepatitis B Virus and dreams of eradicating the disease from the United States.
At the conference that was laden by supporters and stakeholders of the campaign SF Hep B Free to rid the virus in the city, the U.S. Center for Disease Control released more strict testing recommendations to help further the Ma's goal. The center collaborated with consultants and experts to recommend ways to rid the potentially fatal disease that is passed through genetics and blood.
It recommends testing people who were born in Africa, Asia and other geographic regions with 2 percent or higher prevalence of chronic Hepatitis B Virus infections. Before today, the center had the same recommendation for regions with 8 percent prevalence.
It also recommends men who have sex with men and injection drug users get routine testing because they have higher prevalence of chronic Hepatitis B Virus than the overall population.
Ma passed a resolution two years ago to test and treat Pacific Islanders in San Francisco for the disease that can lead to liver cancer for a quarter of infected people.
"It's about saving lives,'' she said.
Many other groups such as Stanford University, Kaiser Permanente and a younger community outreach group, B a Hero, supported Ma today for the same reason.
A 17-year-old girl named Stephanie Shan, who was wearing a blue shirt with a Superman logo that replaced the "S'' with a "B,'' said she joined an advocacy group when her father died from liver cancer, provoked by Hepatitis B one year ago.
"I was 16 and I didn't even know what the disease was,'' Shan said. "Now I'm here because I think it's really important that people get tested to prevent it from happening to other families.''
Stanford University Global Community Health Coordinator Alena Groopman said the goal is to make policies and campaigns in San Francisco global.
"A lot of people who have it don't even know they have it,'' Alena said. "The first step is getting tested.''
SF Hep B Free provides free testing and low-cost treatment for any Pacific Islanders living in San Francisco.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Media Advisory: "SF Hep B Free Announces Enhanced Programs in Step with Release of National CDC Hepatitis B Recommendations"
September 17, 2008
WHAT:
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control is releasing new recommendations for health care providers designed to increase routine testing in the United States for chronic hepatitis B, a major cause of liver disease and liver cancer. Details of SF Hep B Free's expanded public outreach campaign, launched to coincide with national hepatitis treatment recommendations that will be announced on September 18 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Representatives from SF Hep B Free and the CDC will address how the new guidelines will impact residents and healthcare providers in San Francisco, the U.S. city with the highest rate of liver cancer, a disease caused by the hepatitis B virus.
WHO:
Confirmed speakers:
Assemblywoman Fiona Ma (D- San Francisco), a hep B carrier
Dr. Mitch Katz, Director, San Francisco Department of Public Health
Ted Fang, AsianWeek editor, SF Hep B Free Campaign member
Dr. John Ward, Director of Viral Hepatology, CDC, will address the implication of the new recommendations on San Francisco's Asian American Pacific Islanders, of which 1 in 10 has an undiagnosed case of hepatitis B.
Invited speakers:
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom
Aaron Peskin, San Francisco Board of Supervisors president
WHEN:
Thursday, September 18, 2008, 1:00 p.m. (PST)
WHERE:
Chinatown Public Health Center 2nd floor 1490 Mason St. at the top of Broadway St.
CONTACT: Christina Kreitzer
christina@allisonpr.com
office: (415) 277-4924, mobile: (415) 235-9158
ABOUT HBV: Asian and Pacific Islanders (APIs) are disproportionately impacted by Hepatitis B. It is a disease of the liver caused by HBV, a virus often called a "silent killer" because it can cause liver cancer, cirrhosis or liver failure without producing symptoms. San Francisco has the highest liver cancer rate in the nation and 80% of liver cancer in APIs is caused by HBV. But it's preventable with a simple vaccine.
ABOUT SF Hep B Free: SF Hep B Free is a first-of-its-kind collaboration between city government, private healthcare and community organizations. The goal of the citywide campaign is to eradicate hepatitis B in San Francisco by screening, testing and vaccinating all API residents.
Friday, September 5, 2008
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