Despite comprising only 4.8% of the total US population, Asian Americans account for more than half of the 1.4 to 2 million CHB infections. The disproportionate rate of infections among this demographic is attributed to a variety of factors but, collectively, they represent a pressing public health concern within this population.

Hepatitis B virus is often referred to as a silent killer—an apt moniker because chronically infected patients may be asymptomatic for years despite ongoing liver damage. Recent data suggest that up to 1.4 million individuals in the United States may be unaware of their CHB serostatus.

In the tropical state of Hawaii, the sunlight is shining on a potentially deadly virus living quietly within many of its inhabitants. Hawaii’s diverse population¹makes chronic hepatitis B, a largely asymptomatic condition and leading cause of liver cancer, a common, albeit unknown, burden.² But primary care physicians (PCPs) in the “Aloha State” are taking the lead in bringing the disease into the open with preventative screening measures and slowing its progression with appropriate patient care.

There is a substantial opportunity to reduce the prevalence of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in the United States by more rigorous screening and vaccination.¹ The list of groups that should be screened, according to guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, includes individuals born outside the United States in Asia, the Pacific Islands, Africa, and other regions with intermediate to high chronic hepatitis B endemicity (>2%); pregnant women; and nonvaccinated adults with risk factors including exposure (occupational, travel, or health care–related), high-risk sexual activity, and ...