Canada Liver Foundation urges people with chronic hepatitis B to undergo testing every 6 months

When we eat right, exercise and generally feel healthy, it's easy to forget that we are living with a potentially deadly virus. Faced with an almost one in four chance of developing liver cancer or other complications of advanced liver disease however, Ontarians living with chronic hepatitis B cannot afford to be complacent. That is why the Canadian Liver Foundation is urging those with chronic hepatitis B to undergo viral load testing and liver cancer screening every six months.

When we don't have any symptoms and believe that we are making all the right lifestyle decisions, we can develop a false sense of security that our disease isn't progressing. Unfortunately, chronic hepatitis B is one of the most common causes of liver cancer so it's important to stay vigilant. Regular screening can identify liver cancer at a very early stage when it is most treatable.

Earlier this year, the Canadian Liver Foundation released a report that showed that hepatitis B is one of the leading forms of liver disease and that the mortality rates for hepatitis B-related liver cancer are destined to rise by 50% by 2020. Recently released cancer statistics identified liver cancer as one of the fastest rising forms of cancer in Canada.

Ontario has the highest population of people with chronic hepatitis B in all of Canada due in part to the flow of immigrants from countries where hepatitis B is very common. The Canadian Liver Foundation is launching a new awareness campaign that will focus on Ontarians that have already been diagnosed with hepatitis B but are not undergoing treatment or being regularly screened. The campaign will encourage them to talk to their doctors about monitoring and how to best manage their disease for the sake of their long-term health and for their families.

The new awareness campaign will roll-out in doctors' offices first, followed by a mass media launch with radio and print ads, billboards and social media just in time for World Hepatitis Day (July 28).

Free testing for Hepatitis B being provided for people in San Francisco Bay Area

In Bay Area California, among Asians, Filipinos are the third-most chronically infected with the deadly Hepatitis B disease, next only to Chinese (first) and Vietnamese (second. As many as 1 in 10 Asian and Pacific Islanders are infected with Hepatitis B worldwide. Of these, two out of three don’t know they are infected, and one in four will develop liver cancer or liver disease if untreated. Moreover, nearly 80 percent of all liver cancers is directly associated with chronic hepatitis B.

In Bay Area, a campaign has started to provide free testing of Hepatitis B. The campaign also encouraged the people especially the Asian community to participate in the free hepatitis B testing. Hepatitis B is a silent killer like diabetes and many families have been devastated from this disease.

Free Hep B Campaign is all about “bringing the community together,” with independent clinics set up for the public to get free screening. People who are found infected are provided treatment, through with Medicare or the state program for underserved communities.

Hepatitis B infection is a highly prevalent lethal disease that results in liver failure or liver cancer when left unattended. The screening procedure is very simple and if it turns out positive, patient should see a doctor for further tests on an annual basis including getting treatment.

No appointment is necessary for the free screening that is being provided in San Francisco Bay Area. Low income patients can get free testing plus vaccination on a discounted rate depending on income.

Across the globe, approximately one million people die from liver cancer each year as a direct result of hepatitis B. Unlike other diseases, the hepatitis B virus quietly and continuously attacks the liver over many years often without creating noticeable symptoms. The majority of those chronically infected contract the disease unknowingly at birth from their mothers. For chronic carriers, there is a significant increased risk of developing serious liver complications as early as one’s mid-twenties.
Chronic carriers might feel and test perfectly healthy and still develop deadly liver cancer. Simple but specific tests must be used to detect the virus. Unfortunately, these tests are not normally given during check ups and otherwise healthy individuals become victims.