Hepatitis B
Why Employers Care
Hepatitis B is a disease caused by infection with the hepatitis B virus (HBV). It is a vaccine-preventable infection yet millions contract it each year through:
- an infected mother (who is often unaware she is infected) to her newborn at birth
- direct contact with infected blood (i.e. injection drug use, open wound contact)
- unprotected sex
Infection can lead to liver cancer, cirrhosis of the liver and liver failure. Some people develop cancer as early as 30 years of age. Without appropriate screening and treatment, 1 in 4 people with chronic HBV infection will die of liver cancer, cirrhosis or liver failure, often at an early age (i.e. 30s). Because carriers can feel healthy, despite having early stage liver cancer, the disease can progress without a person's knowledge until they are in the late stages of their disease.
What Employers Can Do
Employers with large numbers of Asian American or Pacific Islander employees (e.g., especially in states like California) will want to know about Hepatitis B and its consequences. Employers with operations outside the US, especially in China, also should become educated about Hepatitis B, its prevention and treatment. Worldwide, one-third of all people with chronic Hepatitis B live in China.
In December 2005 and again in 2006, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the following:
- All pregnant women should be tested routinely for the maternal hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)
- Infants born to mothers who are HBsAg positive should receive hepatitis B vaccine and hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG) < 12 hours of birth.
- Infants born to mothers whose HBsAg status is unknown should receive hepatitis B vaccine < 12 hours of birth. The mother should have blood drawn as soon as possible to determine her HBsAg status; if she is positive, the infant should receive HBIG as soon as possible (no later than age 1 week).
- All unvaccinated children and adolescents aged < 19 years should receive the hepatitis B vaccine series.
- 5. All foreign-born persons (including immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, and internationally adopted children) from Africa, Asia, the Pacific Islands, and other regions with high endemicity of HBV infection be tested, regardless of vaccination status.
Global Health Benefits Institute Resources
- The Business Response to Hepatitis B: An Action Guide for Managers – June 28, 2007
This brochure provides employers with an overview of Hepatitis B and actionable strategies on screening, vaccination, and treatment.
- Know HBV: What Every Asian and Pacific Islander Should Know about Hepatitis B and Liver Cancer Brochure – July 14, 2006
This brochure provides employees with an overview of hepatitis B, and promotes prevention, treatment, and non-discrimination.
- Hepatitis B and Moms-to-Be Brochure – 7/10/06
This brochure provides pregnant women with an overview of hepatitis B and promotes pre-natal and post-natal preventive care.
- Hepatitis B in Asians and Asian Americans Presentation – June 28, 2006
Dr. Samuel So from the Asian Liver Center presented information on hepatitis B and its impact on Asians (especially the Chinese), Pacific Islanders, and Asian Americans.
Note that this is a large presentation, and it will take time to download.
Other Hepatitis B Resources
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