MMWR. 2009;58:503
CDC and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, along with members of the National Task Force on Hepatitis B Expert Panel, have created a strategic plan, Goals and Strategies to Address Chronic Hepatitis B in Asian Americans/Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Populations, which addresses the disproportionate impact of chronic hepatitis B in these minority communities.
An estimated 1.4 million persons in the United States are living with chronic hepatitis B, and more than half are Asian Americans and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islanders. These populations have the highest rates of chronic hepatitis B among all racial/ethnic groups in the United States and also a disproportionately high risk for liver cancer. The HBV infection-related death rate among Asian Americans and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islanders is seven times greater than the rate among whites (CDC, unpublished data, 2007).
The strategic plan outlines the health education, screenings, care, and research needed to reduce and eventually eliminate chronic hepatitis B among Asian Americans and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islanders. Additional information is available at http://www.omhrc.gov/templates/browse.aspx?lvl=2&lvlid=190.
