According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 300,000,000 people have chronic hepatitis B infection. Most people with chronic hepatitis B became infected as babies during childbirth and are not aware of the infection until too late. Chronic hepatitis B causes death from liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma), cirrhosis (hardening of liver), or liver failure. Routine blood testing at a doctor’s office does not test for hepatitis B, so the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommends that everyone be screened for hepatitis B once in lifetime.

If a screening blood test shows hepatitis B infection, highly effective and safe pills (antiviral medicines) can be taken just once a day to get rid of the virus from the blood. Taking the pills decreases liver cancer, as well as cirrhosis and liver failure. It also reduces transmission of the virus to other people. In addition, ultrasound scans every 6 months can help find cancer early, when it can be cured. Without good medical care, most liver cancers are discovered too late for curative treatments. In developed countries such as South Korea, doctors now rarely see chronic hepatitis B patients with late stage cancer or cirrhosis whereas these problems were quite common previously.

HepaCure Foundation wants to reduce death and suffering from hepatitis B and find a cure for the disease. We have antiviral medicines available free of charge, as well as free blood tests and ultrasound scans.