Issue
Number 367
February 17, 2003
CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE
- Jade Ribbon Campaign offers hepatitis B information to the
nation's Asian American and Pacific Islander community
- April 28 is early bird registration deadline for the National
Conference on Immunization Coalitions
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February 17, 2003
JADE RIBBON CAMPAIGN OFFERS HEPATITIS B INFORMATION TO THE NATION'S ASIAN
AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER COMMUNITY
Launched in May 2001 as an outreach project of the Asian Liver Center at
Stanford University, the Jade Ribbon Campaign aims to increase awareness and
provide ethnic-sensitive health information about hepatitis B to the
nation's Asian American and Pacific Islander (API) community, as well as
health professionals. Though the campaign focuses on the California API
community, campaign materials are available for nationwide
distribution.
The need to educate the public and health professionals about the incidence
of hepatitis B in the API community is great, according to Asian Liver
Center director Samuel So, MD. "The greatest single health disparity
between Asian Americans and white Americans is liver cancer," Dr. So said.
"The incidence of liver cancer in men is seven to 13 times higher in Asian
and Pacific Islander Americans than in white Americans."
This incidence correlates directly to the disproportionately high rate of
chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in API populations. As many as one
in ten API Americans is chronically infected with HBV, compared with
one in a thousand white Americans. This takes a huge toll on API Americans
because one out of four people with chronic HBV infection will die of HBV-related
liver cancer or cirrhosis.
The situation is made worse because chronic HBV infection is most often
without symptoms, and many API Americans and health professionals are
unaware of the special risk the disease poses to the API population.
Using an array of outreach strategies (multi-language brochures, print ads,
and public service announcements, as well as community education through
health fairs, seminars, and free HBV screenings), the campaign has made HBV
infection visible to California's API community and health professionals.
The outreach efforts have four goals: more testing of API Americans for HBV
infection, higher rates of vaccination against it, more treatment of
it, and increased screening for liver cancer.
The Asian Liver Center website has information about the center, its clinic,
and research activities, and also about the Jade Ribbon Campaign and
hepatitis B education. The home page offers visitors the choice of
advancing their search in Chinese, Korean, or English. Some print and video
information is also available in Vietnamese.
Among the educational materials are video clips of interviews with three
patients who were diagnosed with HBV-related liver cancer, received
treatment, and survived. One interview is in Mandarin, one in
Vietnamese, and one in English. There is also an account in English of a
young Asian American doctor who died of HBV-related liver cancer.
To access the Asian Liver Center website, go to:
http://www.asianlivercenter.org
To access video clips of patient interviews, go to:
http://www.asianlivercenter.org/index2.asp?lang=eng&page=personal
To order brochures and posters in Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese,
and English, go to:
http://www.asianlivercenter.org/index2.asp?lang=eng&page=brochures
For additional information in Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, or
English, call the Asian Liver Center helpline at (650) 725-4837.
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February 17, 2003
APRIL 28 IS EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION DEADLINE FOR THE NATIONAL
CONFERENCE ON IMMUNIZATION COALITIONS
The Fifth National Immunization Coalition Conference will take
place in Phoenix-Scottsdale, AZ, on May 28-30. Attendees can
save $100 by returning the registration form and fee by April
28, the early bird registration deadline. The early bird
registration fee is $195; the regular fee is $295.
The conference theme this year, "An Oasis of Ideas in Arizona,"
describes the meeting goal--to provide information, resources,
and skill-building sessions designed to refresh and support
immunization coalitions at every stage of their development. The
conference will offer sessions tailored to local, state, and
national coalitions and will address childhood, adolescent, and
adult immunization issues as they relate to coalition efforts.
To access the conference brochure, registration information, and
other materials in HTML format, go to:
http://www.hsc.usf.edu/publichealth/conted/imm03.html
To access the conference brochure and registration form in
camera-ready (PDF) format, go to:
http://www.publichealth.usf.edu/conted/pdf/ImmBroch03.pdf
To speak with someone about registration, call (888) 873-2674.
For questions about program content, contact Debbie McCune
Davis, Program Director, at (602) 253-0090, ext. 234 or by email
at tapi@aachc.org
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