Hepatitis B can cause cancer Get tested and treated early
Since 2011, the World Health Organization (WHO) has marked 28 July as World Hepatitis Day to promote and raise public awareness on hepatitis. This year the Department of Health adopts “Hepatitis B can cause cancer Get tested and treated early” as the theme to promote the importance of hepatitis B testing and medical follow-up, particularly among family members and sexual partners of people with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and those with a higher risk of infection.
In Hong Kong, about 540 000 people are chronically infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV), which can be transmitted from mothers to their babies, or through contact with blood or body fluids of an infected person or sexual contact. Some infected people fail to clear the virus and develop CHB, which can cause cirrhosis and liver cancer. Early identification and management of people with CHB is one of the focuses in the This link will open in a new windowHong Kong Viral Hepatitis Action Plan 2020-2024, with a view to reducing the disease burden caused by CHB.
For the newly developed video and more health educational materials, please click the links below:
The Viral Hepatitis Control Office (VHCO), the Department of Health collaborated with Kwai Tsing District Health Centre to organise an online public health talk on 6 July 2022. It covered information on hepatitis B and promoted the importance of hepatitis B testing and medical follow-up. Please click here for health talk materials (only Chinese version available).
VHCO delivered a health talk at Sex with 1069 Awareness and Prevention Conference 2022 which was held by a non-governmental organisation, Gay Harmony, on 28 July 2022. It covered information on the prevention of viral hepatitis. Please This link will open in a new windowclick here for the PowerPoint slides (only Chinese version available).
VHCO collaborated with Sham Shui Po District Health Centre in their mobile health promotion truck service on 24 August 2022 to promote information on hepatitis B and the importance of hepatitis B testing to the public.
In mid-July, VHCO launched an iCE activity for health professionals, which addressed the importance of hepatitis B testing and medical follow-up among people with a higher risk of infection. For more information, please click here. For related training materials, please click here.