One note about if you are applying for a medical professional job, at least in the USA. They usually do ask (or test for) your HBV status. In ethical situations such as at our School of Medicine or School of Nursing, it is to ensure the future care-giver knows their status so they can manage transmission risks appropriately, and to know who needs to be vaccinated. That is OK (and the right thing to do), as long as it is not accompanied with any discriminatory action action at all. Unfortunately, not everyone is that ethical.
An example of the right way to do it is what I do when hiring or recruiting students. Being vaccinated vs HBV is a requirement for working in my lab that I enforce to protect my workforce. This is because I do not feel it would be ethical to expose people under my supervision to the risk of infection when it is preventable. If the person has not been vaccinated, then the only outcome of the question is that the University will vaccinate them for free. It does not affect my recruitment decisions at all, just how I go about ensuring they are safe while working in my group.
Hi Theo, if this is the Theodore I know then of course you know that Iām a (retired) nurse from the Hepatitis B Foundation who lives with hep b. There are definitely other doctors, pharmacists and research scientists who live with hep b that participate. So glad to you know youāre on this forum if Iām right that youāre the Theodore I know! Always, Joan
Hi Joan , itās good to know that there are other health care professionals with hep b. May I ask you a question. Did you experience any discrimination before in your workplace when they knew about your hep b status? I really have a long story about my journey but maybe Iāll just talk to you by phone or zoom.
Hi Theo, more than 30 years ago when I was first diagnosed with hep b I was āsuspendedā from my job until the hospital could figure out their āpolicyā for a hep b infected nurse. It was pretty awful, but eventually I did return to the hospital. Later my husband and I (with other friends) started the Hepatitis B Foundation to help others and raise research funds to find a cure. After many years of fielding phone calls from health care workers (nursing, dental and medical school students) who were facing hep b-related discrimination, we were able to persuade the U.S. CDC to update their guidelines in light of the advances in vaccination and treatment. In 2013 the CDC finally updated their guidelines and all health care education institutions were informed by the government that hepatitis B could not be used for any discriminatory practices related to students or practitioners. So, personally I havenāt faced any overt discrimination but I know that itās an issue for many people around the world. Itās much less than when we started the Foundation 30 years ago, but it still occurs. I could expound more but Iāll encourage others on this forum to share their thoughts and experiences as well. Always, Joan
Thank you for starting the movement against hep b discrimination. Iām still not open about my diagnoses because I can still see discrimination around me coming from , sad to say, other healthcare professionals like doctors and nurses. Many people still donāt understand hep b.
@Theo: Thanks for sharing your story and highlighting an important part of the impact of hepatitis B on many peopleās lives. You can help the Hepatitis B Foundation by registering your experiences here: Hep B Discrimination Registry. This will allow us all to understand where people most need support in our communities.
@john.tavis, thatās similar to our recruitment policy here in Sydney (definitely within my own group; Iād in fact encourage someone with Hep B to join given that their stake in finding a cure is high). As part of our onboarding in our lab we make sure to be clear on the risks of being exposed to HBV while working and have a great form (that @MarkDouglas helped write up) that I think balances making sure that people are protected and their medical privacy. @MarkDouglas, I donāt know if we are able to share that here?
I just thought Iād update you on this thread that Iāve been able to publish a paper in one of the most highly-cited journals in liver research (Nature Reviews: Gastroenterology & Hepatology) about Hepatitis B and Stigma. Please check it out here: https://rdcu.be/cSXnz
We are considering moving to another country and I wonder if any of you have ever faced any long-term visa/ temporary residence denial due to positive HBV?
Any chance anybody came across a list of countries with very strict policies (e.g. I know that they depart you from UAE if you are tested HBV positive) and countries which are more relaxed?
Defamation, harassment since 2016 by the then haematologist and his nurse they disclosed the blood results to anyone and everyone even told people I was in the sex industry, wow how presumptuous and defaming!. The original diagnosis was cancer, where malpractice occurred.
I was stage four cancer, however not dead.
I have received harassment calls amongst other criminal acts towards me such as stalking, hacked phone and email accounts, my property manager is a friend of the nurse who in turn told the neighbours who constantly ask āwhere are you going, where have you beenā or simply snub me etc.
I only know a few people in the town I live in with the plan to work here for a few years then continue my journey. The few people Iāve worked with guaranteed me a positive reference however during the past two years little improvement healthwise then to my surprise these people called me to ask about what I had done before, and they have heard blablabla, oddly they would not disclose who said what. Now I doubt their credibility, choose not to refer them as a reference.
Iāve cut contact to everyone in this part of the world who were only a few anyway, sought legal advice, police support including hospital security. Here is a case of defamation, itās not about the money they may have to pay for damages itās about ethics, maturity, an individualās life is irreplaceable, patient or not. I see this negative behaviour as a cover-up of their incompetence.
A journalist friend offered support of editing the novel.
Iām still considering returning to one of my medical professions, who knows. In the meantime, working on being happy and creating holistic therapies to manage PTSD & cancer symptoms, which I didnāt have before 2016 either. Iām a mature female in her sixties with adult children, have been mainly self-employed a freelancer IT, educator, tour manager, therapist while also single parenting forty of those years.
Sorry to hear about your difficult experiences, @19Kaipe59. Really appreciate you sharing your story and hope you are in a better place where you can find peace and strength.
Thank you for your empathy, and establishing this marvellous site for everyoneās benefit of info exchange, advice and to vent and now a film absolutely brilliant!
Hi Stephen,
I was recently diagnosed with hepatitis B during my medicals as I was processing to move to Australia to study a master of nursing.
The immigration doctor requested for Liver function tests and they came out normal.
I just donāt know the impact it has on my visa.
I am really stressed.
Given that I intended to study masters in nursing, I have been scared that I may get a rejection because itās a course in healthcare.
Do you know of anyone like me that finally got their visa?
I am very sorry to hear about your recent diagnosis of HBV.
I know of many cases of students with HBV from mainland China coming to study at Australian Universities.
So I think students with HBV will be allowed to come to Australia. You will be asked to get standard medical insurance
for all overseas students. However, the insurance will not cover HBV, and you will not be able to get the local subsidized HBV
medicine should you be required to go on medication. However, the insurance will cover many medical conditions.
Some Chinese HBV students arrange to import their HBV medicine from China, which is allowed.
There is a shortage of nurses in Australia, so I think your chances are very good. I also donāt believe that is
any ban on nurses with HBV working in Australia. If you want to work as a nurse while you are studying, you should inform your employer so that they can make suitable arrangements.
Be honest with Immigration and the university that you want to study at, they will do their best to help you.