Alice's Story
English
Cantonese
Alice comes from a Chinese family where talking about illness is taboo. It was only when she became pregnant with her first child that she discovered she had hepatitis B. She learned then that her mother also has the virus, which was probably transmitted to her at birth. Fortunately, Alice’s two children were screened and vaccinated at birth and tested negative for hepatitis B. Today, they are all committed advocates for prevention and care.
Discussion Questions and Answers:
In her story, Alice mentions that she found out she was infected with hepatitis B when she was pregnant with her first child. What reasons does she give for this? (There was a lack of communication about hepatitis B in the family and speaking about illness is viewed as taboo in her culture.)
Why are education and outreach about hepatitis B so important for the prevention of the virus? (Education and outreach can encourage discussion of how important it is to get tested, vaccinated, and/or treated. People need to know that hepatitis B often goes undiagnosed, because there can be few or no symptoms.)
Alice talks about how her mother likely transmitted the virus to her at birth. Did this guarantee that Alice would also transmit the virus to her children at birth? (No, vaccination at birth can prevent the transmission of hepatitis B from an infected mother to her newborn. All children born to mothers living with hepatitis B must be tested after receiving the full three-dose vaccination series to ensure the vaccination was successful.)
Alice's story is available in English and Cantonese.