Hep B Free

03/17/2026

This past February, we celebrated Lunar New Year 🧧!a time for renewal, health, and community.

We hope this infographic serves as a small but powerful reminder: don’t wait—get tested for Hepatitis B. Hepatitis B is often overlooked, but early detection can make all the difference.

If you or someone you know isn’t vaccinated or may be at risk, we encourage you to reach out to a healthcare provider. Screening is often free and quick, and it could save a life.

🔗 Learn more & find testing: sfhepbfree.org
This past February, we celebrated Lunar New Year 🧧! A time for renewal, health, and community.

03/13/2026

🚨 Deadline Extended!

There’s still time to submit your abstract for the 2026 Hep B Free California Summit at UCSF Mission Bay.

We welcome submissions from researchers, clinicians, public health leaders, and community advocates working to advance hepatitis B prevention, care, and elimination. We highly encourage you to submit an abstract!

📅 New abstract deadline: March 20, 2026
📍 Summit: May 12, 2026 – San Francisco (8:00AM-4:30PM)
🔗 Submit here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScvEMpusXC4QcjvJJhUMEw8rz39KunkOV97mDaiaki80dSVug/viewform?pli=1

03/09/2026

We’re thrilled to announce that our poster has been accepted to the World Hepatitis Summit 2026! 🌍✨
This opportunity allows us to share our work and elevate the impact of Hep B Free and HepBNow, connecting with partners worldwide, sparking new ideas, and strengthening the global movement to eliminate hepatitis B.
We’re especially excited to be part of this year’s summit in Thailand, where advocates, researchers, and public health leaders from around the world will come together to collaborate, exchange knowledge, and drive meaningful change.
We’re honored to be part of this powerful international conversation and look forward to engaging with fellow advocates, researchers, and public health leaders committed to ending hepatitis.
See you soon, Thailand!

03/03/2026

Recent data show that Hepatitis B shots given to U.S. newborns have fallen by around 10 percentage points over the past two years, dropping from roughly 83.5% in 2023 to just over 73% in 2025 — leaving 1 in 4 babies without early protection.

This decline is especially concerning in light of the new birth-dose guidance changes. The hepatitis B birth dose is critical because it provides immediate protection at a time when infants are most vulnerable. Babies who contract hepatitis B at birth or in early infancy have up to a 90% risk of developing chronic infection, which can lead to lifelong liver disease and liver cancer.

The hep b vaccine is a safe, and highly effective tool to prevent transmission from mother to child and through early horizontal exposure. Delaying protection increases risk. Protecting newborns from day one matters.

Read more from this study + article linked here: 🔗https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/fewer-newborns-receive-hepatitis-b-vaccination-2026a10005sd?form=fpf
🔗https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2845385?guestAccessKey=0a18cab2-6052-4609-8240-b44c4f10dc5f&utm_source=for_the_media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_content=tfl&utm_term=022326

02/25/2026

Reminder to Register!
The Inaugural Hep B Free California Summit is coming up on May 12, 2026, at UCSF Mission Bay. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with community members, healthcare providers, public health leaders, researchers, and advocates from across California!
This year’s theme, “Hep B Elimination Through Community, Public Health, Innovation, and Healthcare Partnerships,” highlights the power of collaboration in advancing hepatitis B elimination efforts.

✨ CME credits available
✨ Abstract submissions open through March 1 (less than a week left to submit!)

Be sure to register soon!
🔗 Register + learn more: sfhepbfree.org/2026-hep-b-free-california-summit

02/24/2026

🏃‍♀️The countdown is ON!
Reminder that the SF AAPI 5K is coming up soon! Don’t miss your chance to run, walk, and make an impact!

Event details:
📅 May 9, 2026
⏰ 8:30 AM
📍 Crissy Field, San Francisco
💛 Join our team at registration: Hep B Free Heroes
🔑 Password: win

Spots are filling up, so be sure to register while you can! Every step you take helps support hepatitis B education, screening, and access to care in our communities.
Can’t make it? You can still support by donating on the Movemint registration website!

🔗 Scan the QR code on the flyer to register or at this link: https://www.movemint.cc/events/2026_sf_aapi_5k

02/20/2026

Recent reporting has highlighted concerns about a U.S.-funded hepatitis B vaccine study in Guinea-Bissau. According to STAT, the trial would randomize whether approximately 14,500 newborns receive a hepatitis B vaccine dose at birth or at two months of age.

This has raised many questions because the hepatitis B birth dose is a proven, life-saving intervention. When babies are infected at birth, up to 90% develop chronic hepatitis B, putting them at long-term risk for cirrhosis and liver cancer. Receiving the vaccine within 24 hours of birth dramatically reduces that risk by preventing transmission during delivery and early infancy, even if the mother tests negative.

Delaying protection in high-prevalence settings can leave newborns vulnerable during a critical window. Learn more here: https://www.hepmag.com/article/usfunded-hepatitis-b-vaccine-trial-continues-draw-criticism

02/19/2026

🧧✨ Happy Lunar New Year! ✨🧧

As we welcome a new year of longevity, strength, and prosperity, we also wish you and your loved ones good health above all!

Remember, hepatitis B is preventable. A simple test and safe, effective vaccination can protect you, your family, and future generations. Get tested today!

Let’s start the year informed, protected, and empowered. 💛
Know your status. Get vaccinated. Encourage your community to do the same.

02/12/2026

🩺 Providers Interested in Expanding Your Knowledge on Hepatitis B?

In collaboration with UCSF, we’re hosting four upcoming Hep B ECHO sessions this March and April. These sessions are eligible for CME credit and are open to all healthcare providers (UCSF affiliation is not required)!

🗓 1st & 3rd Wednesdays of each month
⏰ 11:45 AM – 12:45 PM

⭐ 2026 Q1 Schedule:
• March 4 – TBD: HBV Antiviral Nuc Withdrawal
• March 18 – Dr. Su Wang: Communicating with Patients About HBV
• April 1 – Dr. Robert Wong: HBV and Coinfections
• April 15 – Dr. Will Holt: HBV, Immunosuppression & Risk of Reactivation

These interactive sessions are designed to support evidence-based care, clinical confidence, and meaningful patient conversations.

All providers are welcome! Again, you don't need to be affiliated with UCSF. We hope you’ll join us.

❓ Contact Cecilia.Rivasalfaro@ucsf.edu for more information!
🔗 Register Here:
https://iecho.org/public/program/PRGM17658284231042SB3GD3MD2

The mission of Project ECHO® (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) is to develop the capacity to safely and effectively treat chronic, common, and complex diseases in rural and underserved...

02/11/2026

🧧✨ Lunar New Year Celebration – Year of the Fire Horse 🐎🔥

Join Daly City as we welcome the Lunar New Year with a morning of culture, community, and celebration! You can enjoy special cultural performances, community resource tables, youth activities, and food samplings!

📅 Saturday, February 28, 2026
⏰ 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
📍 Daly City City Hall
333 90th St. (Edgeworth Ave. & 91st St.)

Hope to see you there!

02/08/2026

🧬👶The California Department of Public Health and the West Coast Health Alliance, a regional partnership of public health leaders from California, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii, work together to coordinate science-based guidance, share data, and promote consistent, trustworthy public health recommendations across the West Coast.
In a recent announcement, they reaffirmed their support for routine hepatitis B vaccination for all newborns, with the first dose given within 24 hours of birth, aligning with national medical experts and decades of evidence showing that early vaccination is a safe and effective way to prevent hepatitis B and protect infant health.

🔗Learn more about the announcement and the evidence behind these recommendations here: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/OPA/Pages/NR25-022.asp

02/06/2026

🎗️🧬 February 4th is World Cancer Day, a reminder that cancer prevention is just as important as cancer treatment.

The Hepatitis B vaccine is the first vaccine proven to prevent cancer. By preventing chronic Hepatitis B infection, it significantly reduces the risk of liver cancer, one of the leading causes of cancer deaths worldwide. Expanding access to vaccination, screening, and education is essential to reducing cancer burden and health inequities.
This connection between vaccination and cancer prevention highlights how evidence-based public health strategies can save lives long before disease ever develops.

To learn more about the role of Hepatitis B vaccination in liver cancer prevention, read more here:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016508525064820