Asian American Reality TV Hunks Take Off Their Shirts for the San Francisco Hep B Free Campaign

Free Hepatitis B Screenings by Asian Liver Center at Stanford University during the Asian Heritage Street Celebration on May 19th, 2007

San Francisco, CA (May 17, 2007)- Yul Kwon, winner of CBS's Survivor: Cook Islands (and new CNN correspondent) along with the Cho Brothers of CBS's Amazing Race 10 will be screened for hepatitis B during the Asian Heritage Street Celebration (AHSC) in San Francisco's SOMA district at 1025 Howard Street on Saturday, May 19th, 2007. The Asian Liver Center at Stanford University will provide free hepatitis B screenings and vaccinations will be available at $20 per shot while supplies last.

These screenings and vaccinations are a major step for San Francisco Hep B Free, a two-year-long campaign for the city to become the first in the nation to screen, vaccinate, and treat all Asian Pacific American (APA) residents for Hepatitis B (HBV).

San Francisco's APA residents comprise of 34% of the city's population and bear a disproportionate burden of many undetected HBV infections and the highest liver cancer rate in the nation. While about 1 in 1,000 of the general US population has chronic HBV infection, 1 in 10 people in the API community are potentially living with an undiagnosed infection. APIs are 100 times more likely to suffer from chronic HBV infection and four times more likely to die from liver cancer compared with the general population.

"There are an estimated 25,000 APAs living in the city of San Francisco with chronic hepatitis B, and an additional 100,000 who are unprotected," said Dr. Samuel So, Director, Asian Liver Center at Stanford University. "There's a real need for increased hepatitis B testing and vaccination in the APA community. More than half of the deaths from hepatitis B are from our community, yet the seriousness of this disease is under-appreciated, under-diagnosed, and under-treated. We are grateful for everyone's support in promoting awareness and prevention of this silent epidemic."

"Many people are unaware that they may be infected with the disease and that is why this campaign is so important," said Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, Honorary Chairperson, SF Hep B Free Steering Committee. "Getting tested and vaccinated and/or receiving treatment will save lives and help make San Francisco hep B free."

1025 Howard Street, from 11 am to 4 pm
SOMA District of San Francisco, CA

www.SFHepBfree.org.
www.liver.stanford.edu.
visit www.sfcdcp.org.