Hello all,

It has already been a busy summer at the Asian Liver Center.  We are thrilled to have our new Summer Interns joining us in the fight against hepatitis B and liver cancer and they are working on many exciting projects!

Over the past year as the Global Health Coordinator at the Asian Liver Center, I have been actively working on our new global initiative, the Asia and Pacific Alliance to Eliminate Viral Hepatitis (APAVH), which is a sustainable global coalition to eliminate the transmission of viral hepatitis, and reduce the complications of chronic viral hepatitis through advocacy, education, vaccination and treatment, and by sharing best practices and development of regional and country-specific goals, and to promote the implementation of WHO regional recommendations.  APAVH was spearheaded by the Asian Liver Center, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization.

APAVH seeks to create a new sustainable regional coalition to prevent new infections and reduce the mortality and morbidity associated with chronic hepatitis B through education, advocacy, vaccination, and treatment.  This regional coalition will be a multi-disciplinary alliance of government agencies, public health practitioners, foundations, policymakers, academia, scientists, patient and advocacy groups, legal professionals, corporations, and the pharmaceutical industry.  By focusing on the 41 countries in the Western Pacific and South- East Asia regions that account for 76% of the global burden of chronic HBV infection, APAVH will spearhead the development and advocate for the adoption of comprehensive policies that will ultimately lead to the global elimination of chronic hepatitis B infection.  APAVH will serve as a model for replication and expansion to form a comprehensive global initiative.

Global health leaders convened in San Francisco on Sunday, November 2, 2008 for the Inaugural APAVH Partners' Meeting, which officially launched this new global initiative.   Following the meeting, the ZeShan Foundation announced its Commitment to Action at the Clinton Global Initiative Meeting in Hong Kong on December 2, 2008.

During our recent visit to Manila, Philippines, Dr. So and I met with the World Health Organization Western Pacific Regional Office, including Regional Director, Dr. Shin Young-soo.  Dr. So gave a presentation to the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office on the global burden of chronic hepatitis B infection and the formation of the Asia and Pacific Alliance to Eliminate Viral Hepatitis (APAVH).  Amy Zhen, Vice Dean and Associate Professor at the Shandong University School of Nursing, and Kathy Fristch, Regional Advisor in Nursing at Western Pacific Regional Office of the World Health Organization, were in the audience.  Ms. Zhen and Ms. Fristch expressed how nursing education in China neglects HBV training, but reflected on how important this tailored training is for advancing patient care, including timely HBV birthdose, three shot completion rates, and perinatal education, among others, and promoting their own health, including blood and injection safety and occupational health risks.

Alison Chang, an MPH student at UCLA and one of our summer interns, and I have been working on a new and exciting online hepatitis B education and training tool in partnership with the Shandong University School of Nursing.  The development of an online training tool specifically designed for nursing students stems from the need for comprehensive instruction regarding hepatitis B in the current nursing school curriculum offered in both the United States and in China.  We hope to eventually expand this online toolkit to be available for different schools and organizations around the world.

During our visit to Manila, Dr. So also gave a presentation to the hepatitis B perinatal coordinators in Metro Manila, Philippines.  The ALC will be working with the Metro Manila Health Department to develop informational resources for health care providers and pregnant women in Manila. 

Dr. So and I also met with Senator Cayetano in May 2009.  The ALC commends Senator Cayetano for her unwavering effort in the fight against hepatitis B and liver cancer.  In 2007 Republic of the Philippines Senator Pia Cayetano introduced Senate Bill 1060 (National Liver Cancer and Hepatitis-B Awareness Month), which designates the month of February of every year as “National Liver Cancer and Hepatitis-B Awareness Month” in order to draw and raise public attention and awareness about liver cancer and Hepatitis-B and the urgency to prevent and control the disease. In 2008, Senator Cayetano introduced Senate Bill 1654 (Mandatory Hepatitis-B Immunization), which is an act requiring mandatory basic immunization services against hepatitis B for infants, amending for the purpose of Presidential Decree No. 996. Senator Cayetano also introduced Senate Bill 2012, the "Mandatory Hepa-B Immunization Act," which expands the national immunization program by making basic immunization services against hepatitis B mandatory for infants within 24 hours from childbirth. The measure has passed the Senate but is still waiting for the House's final version.

More exciting updates on APAVH and our global project to come soon!

All the best,
Alena