CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Activists say Hepatitis B is a silent epidemic that’s ravaging the Asian American community, and most people don’t know about it.”A lot of people in the Asian American community are unknowingly affected by this silent epidemic,” said Francis Deng, a Harvard University student and member of Team HBV, a group dedicated to Hepatitis B awareness in Boston’s Asian community.It’s a disease that’s both treatable and preventable, and yet thousands still die from it each year. of the 1.5 million Americans infected with Hepatitis B, more than half are people of Asian and Pacific Island descent, according to the American Liver foundation.”Oftentimes it doesn’t present with any symptoms at first, so patients think everything is OK and that they don’t have an underlying problem,” said Timothy Yiu, a Harvard Medical Student.Harvard’s Team HBV is more than half way to its goal of screening 150 people using a simple blood test. The disease itself spreads through blood and bodily fluids, and most Asians contract it from their mothers at birth.”There’s a misconception that the disease can be transmitted through food or casual contact,” said Deng. “But because of misconceptions, people think that if you’re a carrier, then they don’t want to be around you or eat near you.”That stigma has led to discrimination in some Asian countries and some in the U.S avoiding treatment until it’s too late.”If you choose not to undergo treatment, it can progress to end-stage liver failure or liver cancer, and that can lead to death,” said Yiu.there are currently six FDA-approved treatments and an effective Hepatitis B vaccination on the market, making proper screening the key.”With antiviral and drug treatments, you can definitely keep it to manageable levels and live a completely normal, healthy life,” said Yiu.Resources: FREE Hepatitis B Screening Sunday, Dec. 5, 9 AM to 12 PM Location: Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association 90 Tyler St. Boston, MA Harvard University’s Team HBV 424-2LiverH (424-254-8374)
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