CDC: Learning ‘ABCs of viral hepatitis’ may help boost early testing, vaccination
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During Hepatitis Awareness Month, the CDC and allied public health organizations launched educational campaigns to raise awareness of viral hepatitis, deflate stigma around the infection and encourage early testing and vaccination.
May 19th is Hepatitis Testing Day, and the CDC recommends that all adults aged 18 and older are screened at least once for hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Throughout the month of May, the CDC will focus on a different theme each week to boost recognition of the common hepatitis types in the United States – hepatitis A, B and C – and the importance of screening:
- May 6 to May 10: Increase testing, vaccination and treatment to key populations.
- May 13 to 17: Screen all patients who are pregnant for hepatitis B and C.
- May 20 to 24: Accelerate point-of-care testing to provide treatment to individuals who need it.
The CDC also encourages individuals to share information on the “ABCs of viral hepatitis” and use the hashtags #HepAware2024, #HepatitisAwarenessMonth and #Hepatitis on all social media platforms to educate others on symptoms of hepatitis and preventive vaccination.
In recognition of Hepatitis Awareness Month, Healio revisits the latest news and research on early interventions and comprehensive care that could make the difference for individuals at risk for hepatitis.
VIDEO: Prevention ‘always better than a cure’ for HBV infection
In a Healio video exclusive, Jeff Baxter, president and CEO of VBI Vaccines, discusses the current burden of HBV infection and shares updates on prevention and treatment strategies for Hepatitis Awareness Month.
As of 2019, the WHO estimates that nearly 300 million people worldwide are chronically infected with HBV, with an estimated 1.1 million deaths each year, Baxter said. The CDC reports that 2.2 million are chronically infected in the U.S. Read more.
FDA extends Vemlidy approval for chronic hepatitis B to children as young as 6 years
The FDA updated the label indication for Vemlidy 25 mg for the treatment of chronic HBV with compensated liver disease, expanding the patient population to include children aged 6 years and older who weigh at least 25 kg.
Vemlidy (tenofovir alafenamide, Gilead Sciences) — a nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitor — was previously approved for the adult population in 2016 and expanded in 2022 to include children as young as 12 years. Read more.
Global HBV prevalence dips below 260 million; not ‘large enough’ for 2030 elimination goal
Global burden of HBV is estimated to be 257.5 million individuals, according to recent data in Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology, which, although lower than current WHO estimates, falls short of 2030 elimination targets.
Additionally, the researchers reported that only 14% of HBV infected patients had been diagnosed in 2022, and just 8% of patients eligible for HBV treatment had received treatment. Read more.
‘All hands on deck’: GIs should continue to be part of viral hepatitis care team
Primary care providers and other specialists often refer patients to gastroenterologists with any liver-related health concerns, as they are the first touch point for newly diagnosed patients or those living with chronic liver disease.
In addition, in many practice settings hepatologists, or dedicated liver specialists, are not available. As such, it is often the gastroenterologists who are the front-line providers to identify and manage viral hepatitis. Thus, it is important that once GI providers see patients who are at risk for, or living with viral hepatitis, they conduct the appropriate testing and ensure that patients are linked to follow-up care. Read more.
Scaling up HBV birth dose vaccine coverage could help avert more than 500,000 deaths
Bolstering the introduction of hepatitis B birth dose vaccines and verifying progress in eliminating mother-to-child transmission are among strategies critical to achieving HBV control in Africa, WHO and CDC researchers wrote.
“Most chronic HBV infections are acquired through mother-to-child transmission or during early childhood, and approximately two-thirds of these infections occur in [the WHO African Region],” Hyacinte J. Kabore, DDS, of the Vaccine-Preventable Disease Unit at the WHO regional office for Africa, and colleagues wrote in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. “In 2016, the WHO African Regional Committee endorsed two targets for hepatitis B control.” Read more.
Freeze-thaw embryo transfer safe for women with HBV infection
Maternal HBV serostatus was not associated with pregnancy outcomes in infertile women in China who underwent freeze-thaw embryo transfer, according to data in JAMA Network Open.
“Infection with HBV has been linked to a higher risk of miscarriage and preterm birth in natural pregnancies,” Ling-Ling Ruan, MD, of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Women and Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, and colleagues wrote. “However, its effects on assisted reproductive technology, especially freeze-thaw embryo transfer, are uncertain.” Read more.
Drug use, unstable housing top risk factors during recent hepatitis A virus outbreak
Nearly twice as many hepatitis A virus-related deaths were reported in the United States from 2016 to 2022 compared with the previous 6 years, with individuals who use drugs or experience homelessness and unstable housing most at risk.
“Since 2016, hepatitis A outbreaks associated with person-to-person transmission have been reported in 37 states, involving approximately 44,900 cases, 27,450 hospitalizations and 423 deaths as of October 6, 2023,” Megan G. Hofmeister, MD, of the CDC’s National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, and colleagues wrote in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. “Nearly twice as many deaths involving hepatitis A in the United States occurred during 2016 to 2022 compared with 2009 to 2015.” Read more.
Reference:
- CDC. Hepatitis Awareness Month. https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/awareness/HepatitisAwarenessMonth.htm. Accessed April 26, 2024.
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