US Govt starts Hep B campaign among AAPIs

[Guest guest]

http://www.asianjournal.com/dateline-usa/15-dateline-usa/11129-us-govt-starts-he\

p-b-campaign-among-aapis.html

US Govt starts Hep B campaign among AAPIs

Thursday, 30 June 2011 10:36 Dymphna Calica LA Putt | AJPress Las Vegas

To make Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) aware of Hepatitis B, the

Obama administration has started an intensive information drive to discuss the

risks, treatment and prevention of the disease.

Already, the President’s Advisory Commission on AAPIs is coordinating with local

groups in various cities for the campaign.

“We really want to make sure AAPIs are aware of this disease,” Rozita Lee said

in an interview.

Lee is one of the commissioners in the president’s advisory board. The

commission was created last year as part of the White House’s initiative to

improve lives of AAPI immigrants.

“This is one of the priorities that we are working on because of the prevalence

of the disease among AAPIs,” Lee also said.

“One in 10 individuals has the disease. Globally, there are 300 to 400 million

people infected. The estimate is every 45 seconds, somebody dies from it,” Dr.

Noel Fajardo said during a focused group discussion in Las Vegas last June 25.

The Las Vegas-based gastroenterologist was speaker at a discussion attended by

Lee, members of the local Asian-American community as well as officers of the

Nevada chapter of National Federation of Filipino-American Associations

(NaFFAA).

Fajardo, of Las Vegas Gastroenterology, is spearheading a city-wide campaign

that targets AAPIs, particularly the Filipino community.

“The Philippines, being in a high endemic region, the risk in our community is

very high,” he said.

Hepatitis B is an infectious illness caused by a virus which infects the liver

and causes inflammation and jaundice. Left untreated, chronic hepatitis B may

eventually cause liver cirrhosis and liver cancer.

“The virulence of Hepatitis B, it is 100 times more infectious than HIV. It’s

related to viral load. If you have the virus in you, you can pass it on,”

Fajardo said.

The highly-contagious disease can be passed on from a mother to a newborn, by

sexual contact, or sharing contaminated needles and syringes.

“In the (Filipino) community, it is usually transmitted vertically, meaning from

the mother to child during childbirth,” he said.

Because individuals with Hepatitis B do not feel any symptoms, these people are

not aware they are ill until the later stage when the liver is already damaged,

Fajardo noted.

“The most common manifestation is liver cancer,” he told the audience.

As such, screening for the Hepatitis B is highly recommended, he said. The blood

test used to check for this infection will also show if the person has

antibodies against the disease. Lacking these, the person will need to get

immunization. If an individual tests positive for the disease, the person will

need to get treatment.

“We need to understand the urgency as to why this is a healthcare crisis. We’ve

reached certain achievements over the past months but we want to do more,”

Fajardo said.

“One thing peculiar to (the Filipino) community is we as a group is not

interested in lining up to have our blood drawn. We’re very educated,

sophisticated and private,” he added.

As such, he recommends that screening be done in doctors’ offices. I want your

information to be covered under the Health Insurance Portability and

Accountability Act (HIPAA).

This federal law regulates, among others, the handling of medical information to

ensure patient privacy

“The clinic is always HIPPA-protected. We know (information) needs to be treated

very sensitively,” Fajardo said.

(with Macabagdal/AJPress)

(www.asianjournal.com)

(Las Vegas June 30-July 6, 2011 Sec A pg.1)

[Guest guest]

http://www.asianjournal.com/dateline-usa/15-dateline-usa/11129-us-govt-starts-he\

p-b-campaign-among-aapis.html

US Govt starts Hep B campaign among AAPIs

Thursday, 30 June 2011 10:36 Dymphna Calica LA Putt | AJPress Las Vegas

To make Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) aware of Hepatitis B, the

Obama administration has started an intensive information drive to discuss the

risks, treatment and prevention of the disease.

Already, the President’s Advisory Commission on AAPIs is coordinating with local

groups in various cities for the campaign.

“We really want to make sure AAPIs are aware of this disease,” Rozita Lee said

in an interview.

Lee is one of the commissioners in the president’s advisory board. The

commission was created last year as part of the White House’s initiative to

improve lives of AAPI immigrants.

“This is one of the priorities that we are working on because of the prevalence

of the disease among AAPIs,” Lee also said.

“One in 10 individuals has the disease. Globally, there are 300 to 400 million

people infected. The estimate is every 45 seconds, somebody dies from it,” Dr.

Noel Fajardo said during a focused group discussion in Las Vegas last June 25.

The Las Vegas-based gastroenterologist was speaker at a discussion attended by

Lee, members of the local Asian-American community as well as officers of the

Nevada chapter of National Federation of Filipino-American Associations

(NaFFAA).

Fajardo, of Las Vegas Gastroenterology, is spearheading a city-wide campaign

that targets AAPIs, particularly the Filipino community.

“The Philippines, being in a high endemic region, the risk in our community is

very high,” he said.

Hepatitis B is an infectious illness caused by a virus which infects the liver

and causes inflammation and jaundice. Left untreated, chronic hepatitis B may

eventually cause liver cirrhosis and liver cancer.

“The virulence of Hepatitis B, it is 100 times more infectious than HIV. It’s

related to viral load. If you have the virus in you, you can pass it on,”

Fajardo said.

The highly-contagious disease can be passed on from a mother to a newborn, by

sexual contact, or sharing contaminated needles and syringes.

“In the (Filipino) community, it is usually transmitted vertically, meaning from

the mother to child during childbirth,” he said.

Because individuals with Hepatitis B do not feel any symptoms, these people are

not aware they are ill until the later stage when the liver is already damaged,

Fajardo noted.

“The most common manifestation is liver cancer,” he told the audience.

As such, screening for the Hepatitis B is highly recommended, he said. The blood

test used to check for this infection will also show if the person has

antibodies against the disease. Lacking these, the person will need to get

immunization. If an individual tests positive for the disease, the person will

need to get treatment.

“We need to understand the urgency as to why this is a healthcare crisis. We’ve

reached certain achievements over the past months but we want to do more,”

Fajardo said.

“One thing peculiar to (the Filipino) community is we as a group is not

interested in lining up to have our blood drawn. We’re very educated,

sophisticated and private,” he added.

As such, he recommends that screening be done in doctors’ offices. I want your

information to be covered under the Health Insurance Portability and

Accountability Act (HIPAA).

This federal law regulates, among others, the handling of medical information to

ensure patient privacy

“The clinic is always HIPPA-protected. We know (information) needs to be treated

very sensitively,” Fajardo said.

(with Macabagdal/AJPress)

(www.asianjournal.com)

(Las Vegas June 30-July 6, 2011 Sec A pg.1)