By Dr. David Hilmers | Chief Medical Officer
June 2026 Report
Dear friends,
Hepatitis B Free is pleased to report a very busy period since our last quarterly newsletter. We are greatly appreciative of your continued support and prayers. We are always amazed by the new lessons we learn from our partners and from those whom we serve each time we travel.
Tonga. In April, we sent a team to Tonga to initiate a hepatitis B treatment program in one of the outlying provinces. We worked with colleagues from New Zealand and local partners in a very successful program that screened approximately 80% of the population in the province for hepatitis B. The prevalence rate was about 4%; nearly all infected patients were evaluated, and about 50 were started on life-saving therapy. An application developed by HBF was used to effectively and efficiently prioritize patients for treatment versus careful monitoring. Patients found to have liver masses via ultrasound were referred for further evaluation by experts in New Zealand. Several meetings were held with local and national policy-makers to expand this model to other outlying provinces.
APASL. The team presented a paper at the annual meeting of the Asia Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver (APASL). The oral presentation described the success of a community volunteer program that showed significant improvement in medication adherence after implementation. An article detailing this project has been accepted for publication by an academic journal. A presentation was also made at a major university in Istanbul.
PNG. Drs. Lee and Hilmers traveled to Papua New Guinea in June to visit three different sites where HBF has programs. The province of Milne Bay represents a new collaboration with the provincial health department and a large business, New Britain Palm Oil Ltd (NBPOL). Our team evaluated patients, trained local health providers, spoke with provincial health officials, and gave talks at schools and company gatherings. A memorandum of understanding has been drafted and is awaiting final approval from the national government. HBF will be working on the procurement of test kits and medications. The next stop was in Oro Province, where HBF has had a decade-long collaboration with NBPOL and the local hospital. We met with local officials, conducted training, and saw over 55 patients infected with hepatitis B. There has been a shortage of antivirals and test kits, which we are seeking to eliminate. In Port Moresby, we met with national officials working on hepatitis B. The team was very impressed by the enthusiasm exhibited by local, provincial, and national officials. There is an incredible opportunity to make a difference in PNG, where the burden of disease is very high.
Kiribati. After 10 years of service in Kiribati, we have established the necessary infrastructure, training, laboratory, and pharmacy facilities to hand over primary responsibility for the hepatitis program to the Ministry of Health and Medical Services. Our local partners are confident that they have the capacity to maintain and expand the program throughout the vast expanse of this island nation. Over the decade we have served alongside our local partners, we have trained nearly all the health care providers on the main island of Tarawa and Kiribati’s inhabited outer islands. We have provided test kits and evaluated almost half of the 130,000 inhabitants for hepatitis B, and over 1,000 patients have been started on treatment. We remain committed to Kiribati and will continue to provide consultations and will return to the country when requested. Through your generous support, we have made much progress and see hope for this country that has long suffered from the consequences of hepatitis.
Madagascar. In Madagascar, HBF and its partners are slowly gathering the necessary equipment (vaccines, test kits, medications) and personnel and have obtained the required approvals to proceed with a mother-to-child transmission study. This investigation will test all pregnant women and treat those who are positive for hepatitis B with antiviral medications prior to delivery at the main maternity hospital in the capital, Antananarivo. In addition, all babies delivered at the hospital will be provided with a birth-dose vaccine. These two interventions should dramatically reduce the rate of transmission of hepatitis B and provide policy-makers with the evidence necessary to demonstrate the benefits of such a program. These interventions, which are standard of care elsewhere, are not currently available in Madagascar. We are hopeful that the study can begin within the next few weeks.
North Korea is still officially closed to travel. However, we are observing some relaxation in this policy and are hopeful that an exploratory trip may be possible this year. We have been deeply concerned about the status of the thousands of hepatitis patients whom we previously managed but have been unable to see since the project was paused in 2020 due to COVID.
In addition to the projects mentioned above, we will travel to explore two new projects in the Solomon Islands and Samoa this year. It is only through your generous support and prayers that these programs are possible. We remain deeply grateful.
Sincerely,
David
By David Hilmers | Chief Medical Officer
By Dr David Hilmers | Chief Medical Officer
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