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303760
Hepatitis B awareness and screening campaign with the Vietnamese on the Mississippi gulf coast
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Candice Green, MPH
,
Office of Health Disparity Elimination, Mississippi State Department of Health, Ridgeland, MS
Evelyn Walker, MD, MPH
,
Office of Health Promotion and Health Equity, Mississippi State Department of Health, Ridgeland, MS, MS
Background/Significance: Hepatitis B is a blood-born communicable disease that affects the liver. It is spread through sharing personal items of an infected person; transmission from infected mother-to unborn child; and sexual contact with an infected person. Estimates show that one in ten Asians and Pacific Islanders are living with chronic Hepatitis B. Vietnamese Americans comprise a small subset of the Southeast Asian American population in Mississippi, and the majority of them (approximately 8,500) live on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Screening for hepatitis B is inexpensive and the benefits include limiting disease progression and facilitating early access to treatments that can save significant life years. Objective/Purpose: The purpose is to increase awareness of hepatitis B in the Vietnamese population on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and to determine its prevalence in this population. Methods: Initially, Vietnamese community partnerships were established and language barriers were addressed as the hepatitis B education campaign was developed and executed. In- language seminars and translated print materials were used to heighten awareness regarding the importance of knowing one's hepatitis B status. Subsequently, hepatitis B screenings were conducted by Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) staff during a series of community activities, and results counseling and referrals were provided approximately two weeks thereafter. Results: The MSDH screened a total of 409 Vietnamese for Hepatitis B from March 2012-May 2013. Each screening event revealed a chronic hepatitis B prevalence between (10-15%), collaborating the national estimates. Discussions/Conclusions: The MSDH's coordinated efforts to provide timely and culturally appropriate hepatitis B education to the Mississippi Gulf Coast Vietnamese population resulted in interest and desire for the screenings, yielding important data for addressing hepatitis B immunization and treatment needs in this specific Vietnamese community. Further funding will provide opportunities to enhance surveillance of follow-up on clinical referrals to better ascertain clinical outcomes.
Learning Areas:
Epidemiology
Learning Objectives:
Identify the prevalence of chronic hepatitis B in the Vietnamese population on the Mississippi gulf coast.
Keyword(s): Hepatitis B, Asian Americans
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: As an Epidemiologist at the Mississippi Department of Health I have conducted analysis to assist in writing grants, providing legislative updates, developing chronic disease burden documents, abstracts, implementation of programmatic activities. I have chaired various data committees. One recent project has been working with the Vietnamese population to increase awareness of hepatitis B. These efforts consisted of analyzing data, organizing screenings, and developing partnerships with providers to provide vaccination and treatment to these populations.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
