Among Asians, Filipinos are the third-most
chronically infected with the deadly Hepatitis B disease, next only to
Chinese (first) and Vietnamese (second).
At the launching of the Free Hep B test clinic at the North East
Medical Services (NEMS) in Daly City on Thursday, Jopanda explained that
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,” Jopanda said, noting that nearly 80 percent of all liver cancers is directly associated with chronic hepatitis B.
Labels: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs), epidemiology, Filipinos, free testing