Federal grant helps providers screen and vaccinate hepatitis B patients in Sacramento

A new federal grant could help end the spread of hepatitis B virus in Sacramento County.

The $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health will help health care service providers screen patients, primarily pregnant women, as well as Asian Americans, the population found to have the highest percentage of diagnosed cases for hepatitis B. Regardless of race or ethnicity, providers would vaccinate those who are not infected and link individuals at risk to care.

The project, called “End B,” is a partnership effort between the Sacramento County Division of Public Health, UC Davis Health and the Health and Life Organization (HALO) Sacramento community clinics.

“We are thrilled to bring together our community and county public health experts to demonstrate that we can establish a comprehensive program to spare the next generation of Sacramento County residents from this disease,” said Moon Chen, Jr., associate director of Population Sciences and Community Outreach and Engagement at the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center and principal investigator of the grant. “We believe our program will serve as a national model to address this deadly disparity.”

Hepatitis B virus is a leading risk factor for liver disease and liver cancer, the second deadliest cancer in the world. With no outside symptoms, the virus can only be diagnosed when tested. It is primarily transmitted from mother to child during birth, but can also be passed on when someone comes in contact with the blood, semen or other body fluid of an infected person.

“If we can prevent it (hepatitis B), we can spare a lot of lives,” Chen said.

An estimated 850,000 to 2.2 million people are living with chronic hepatitis B, according to UC Davis Health, but only a third have been diagnosed. About 6 percent of the U.S. population is Asian Americans, but they experience about 60 percent of diagnosed chronic hepatitis B cases. Hmong Americans have the shortest survival due to chronic hepatitis B infection.

The project focuses on HALO community clinic patients. Pregnant women, regardless of race and ethnicity, will be screened for hepatitis B during their first perinatal visit. If found to be HBV positive, their newborn will be vaccinated within 12 hours. Children and adults, especially Asian Americans, will also be screened.

Chen said this is not a one-time campaign and can cover the entire health needs of participants.

“I believe one of the compelling features of our funded grant proposal is that we are realistic,” Chen said. “They (patients) are already covered by health insurance as a member of HALO. All of the patients we reach and serve are covered for a full spectrum of follow up care in a medical home where they can already being served.”

Ted Wun, director and principal investigator of UC Davis’ Clinical and Translational Science Center, said the project might be the template for addressing other vaccine-preventable diseases.

“We are excited that ‘End B’ could be a model national program based on the synergistic collaboration of the academic, community and governmental sectors,” he said.

“What really excites me is that ‘End B’ will allow us to comprehensively decrease the transmission of HBV, not only in adults, but in collaboration with Sacramento County and HALO, we can potentially eliminate the perinatal transmission of HBV and assure that all newborns are properly vaccinated,” said Primo Lara, Jr., Cancer Center director.

HALO community clinics will serve as the sites for screening, vaccination and treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis B infection.

UC Davis’ Clinical and Translation Center will provide clinical trials recruitment support and assistance to investigators with planning and implementing research.

This story was originally published July 27, 2019 at 11:31 AM.