Launched last September 7, HepBsmart.com contains practical information about chronic hepatitis B (CHB), a potentially life-threatening liver disease that affects an estimated two million people in the United States and is the leading cause of liver cancer.
Chronic hepatitis B is caused by a virus and can slowly damage the liver, without causing obvious symptoms. Chronic hepatitis B can be diagnosed with a simple blood test, prevented with a vaccine, and managed with appropriate care – but alarmingly, most people living with the disease don’t know they are infected.
Without treatment, 1 in 4 people with CHB may die of disease-related complications. The impact of chronic hepatitis B in the United States is more severe among Asian American communities.
HepBsmart.com features:
• Information on how to prevent CHB, testing for the disease, and management of CHB.
• An innovative animated video depicting a CHB patient’s journey from diagnosis to care (available in 14 languages with subtitles).
• Educational brochures in 14 languages, including Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Tagalog among others.
HepBSmart.com is an educational website created by Gilead Sciences, a maker of medicines for chronic hepatitis B. The website is part of Gilead’s ongoing effort to raise community awareness of chronic hepatitis B.