National health care officials are sounding the alarm this month on the disproportionate impact of hepatitis B on Asian American communities, encouraging them to get tested and, if needed, vaccinated.
Hepatitis B is a virus that, when untreated, can cause severe liver problems, including cancer, liver failure or death. Of the 580,000 to 1.17 million people who suffer from the virus in the U.S., 58% are Asian, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In May, as National Hepatitis Awareness Month crosses over with Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, the CDC and its local partners are reminding Asian Americans of this startling statistic — and urging them to get tested, as early treatment can mean a life and death difference. Three-fourths of those in the U.S. with hepatitis B are immigrants — with cases being much more common in countries in Asia and the Pacific Islands than in the U.S., Gupta said. The World Health Organization says Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines and Vietnam all face extremely high case numbers, and children born there are more likely to have the virus at birth.
We estimate that about 1 in 3 Asian Americans who have hepatitis B in the United States don’t know that they have it. So one of the most important things we need to do is remind people that all adults should be tested at least once in their lifetime. Testing is simply a matter of asking a health care provider at an annual wellness check, he said, but income and language can present significant barriers in even knowing when to ask. Cultural stigmas around disease can also play a significant role.
There is stigma with disease, and many Asian Americans, like many other Americans, may be embarrassed or not feel comfortable seeking out care or asking questions about hepatitis B. The CDC’s local partners work with individual communities to battle these stigmas and cultural barriers, he said, providing in-language information through webinars and social media campaigns about how to get tested.