By Iain MacDonald
Free Hepatitis B Screenings at AHSC!
It is 10 times more common than HIV and 100 times more infectious. In comparison to the 40 million people world wide living with HIV, this virus has chronically infected 400 million people, with 270 million of them living in the Asian and Pacific Island regions. This insidious virus is Hepatitis B, and it is the leading cause of liver cancer in Asian Americans. With May designated as National Hepatitis B Awareness Month, the Asian Liver Center at Stanford University will be providing free Hepatitis B screenings during the Asian Heritage Street Celebration on Saturday, May 20, at 2151 Irving Street, Suite 205 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Endemic to Asia, Hepatitis B can be spread through contaminated blood
and infected bodily fluids occurring through blood-to-blood contact, unprotected
sex, use of unsterile needles, as well as from an infected mother to her
newborn child. It is through the birthing processes that most Asian and
Pacific Islander Americans, who make up half of the known 1.3 to 1.5 million
Hepatitis B cases in the United States, contract the disease. Its prevalence
stems from its silent transmission, with most people unaware that they
are carriers of the virus. With no symptoms manifesting within the carriers
for up to 20 years the disease can ravage the liver ultimately turning
fatal.
The Asian Liver Center at Stanford, estimates that 1 in 10 foreign-born APIA and 1.6 in 100 U.S. born APIA, are chronically infected with the disease and remain unaware of it. The disease cannot be found through standard blood tests, but must specifically be tailored to seek the Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), a marker for chronic infection. The good news says Sei-Gyung Kim, outreach coordinator for the Asian Liver Center, is that there is a vaccine. "If you're not infected, get vaccinated to protect yourself for life," she said. "If you do have hepatitis B, get screened and treated to lead a healthy, normal life."
|
The Magic of Chin-Chin At the age of six, Chin-Chin had re-constructive
surgery on a cleft palette above his lips. During his hospital stay,
a local magician entertained him. Quite amused by his performance,
Chin-Chin asked the magician "How did you that?" The magician looked
Chin-Chin in the eyes, took out a red handkerchief, threw it in
the air, and as it changed into a cane, said "It's magic." That
was when Chin-Chin found his first love. His supportive parents
purchased a magic kit for his birthday to surprise him. Only five
years later he was a working professional. Chin-Chin surpassed his
parents' expectations when he was named "Stage Magician of the Year"
by the San Francisco Conjurors. He won the coveted award again only
two years later, making him the only San Francisco Bay Area magician
to do so. Chin-Chin has appeared and disappeared in California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, and even Alaska. Founder of Savage Beast Productions, Chin-Chin works in association with several organizations including the Make-a-Wish Foundation to help enrich the lives of other children and their dreams. The message that Chin-Chin wants people to realize is that "Everybody can live their dreams once they believe that they can make it happen." |
|
By
Angela Pang
Moongirl Moongirl Headed by independent designer Karen
Lechelt, Moongirl is returning to the Asian Heritage Street Celebration
for the second year. She offers two lines of t-shirts, Moongirl
for girls and Handsome Tigers for guys. She said she is returning
to the Celebration because she had a great time, met fantastic people
and sold lots of tees. "The crowd was just excited to be there as
we were and [they] showed us lots of love," Lechelt said. She said though most people simplify her artwork as being "Asian," they are much more than that. "They are about the things I see, think, feel and dream of [and] they reflect my life and my perspective," said Lechelt. "So sometimes they are silly, funny, sad, lonely, but always so damn cute!" Read More
|
 |
|
| www.moongirl.com |
Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo is proud to sponsor the Asian Heritage Street Celebration. Our relationship with the Asian community dates back more than 150 years ago when Wells Fargo served Asian merchants as customers. Wells Fargo was one of the first California companies to service Chinese customers in their native languages, and published a directory of Chinese-owned businesses in San Francisco in 1871. Read More
Sunset Scavenger
Norcal Waste Systems, Inc., founded and headquartered in San Francisco, has been a leader in the field of solid waste management and recycling since the turn of the century. As much a part of the City's unique and colorful history as bridges and cable cars, the people of Norcal take pride in our history of service to residents and businesses of the City and County of San Francisco. Read More
design by Shin Hui Lin & Sheila Vu