Published Date: 2011-10-23 11:15:10
Subject: PRO/EDR> Hepatitis B - USA (02): (CA) liver cancer epidemic, comment
Archive Number: 20111023.3155

HEPATITIS B - USA (02): (CALIFORNIA), LIVER CANCER EPIDEMIC, COMMENT
********************************************************************

A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org

Date: Sat 22 Oct 2011
From: Steve Berger <mberger@post.tau.ac.il>


Changes in vaccination policy may not solve California's "liver cancer
epidemic." In the United States as a whole, rates of hepatitis B had
already declined significantly before the demonstration of effective
vaccine uptake [1,2] (see graph:
http://www.gideononline.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/HepB-US.png).

Vaccination of infected Asian immigrants cannot alter disease
progression or public health risk among Asian immigrants who were
already infected before arriving to California. The focus must be on
testing and counseling of pregnant carriers and high-risk contact
groups in this community. In any case, possible effects of increased
vaccination on rates of liver cancer might not be apparent for several
years, given the natural lag period from infection to tumor.

(Graph tool tutorial at
http://www.GIDEONonline.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/Gideon-Graphs.pps).

References:
1. Berger SA. Infectious Diseases of the United States, 2011
publication. 1030 pp, 464 graphs, 8237 references. Gideon e-books,
http://www.gideononline.com/ebooks/country/infectious-diseases-of-the-united-states/.
2. Berger SA. Hepatitis B: Global Status, 2011. 327 pp, 405 graphs,
1517 references. Gideon e-books,
http://www.gideononline.com/ebooks/disease/hepatitis-b-global-status/.

--
Steve Berger
Geographic Medicine
Tel Aviv Medical Center
Israel
<mberger@post.tau.ac.il>

[ProMED-mail thanks Steve Berger for providing this graph and for his
accompanying commentary. - Mod.CP]

See Also