Thanks for chiming in, @Suwang88. I appreciate the info on GoodRx and Costplus, that’s really helpful to know. I’ll be going to the US in 7-8 months on a student visa, but I haven’t decided which college yet.
I want to know if GoodRx and Costplus options are available for immigrants, or do they require a specific residency status? I also hope that a community health center or university health center will be available as an option.
I really appreciate your tip about taking meds discreetly without labels. If you don’t mind, I might ping you about this once I get to the US.
Thank you
KL
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Hi @Katniss_L,
GoodRx is an online platform that offers good medication deals/discounts for patients. It’s open to everyone in the US irrespective of immigration status. It is a coupon program so they do not request any personal information. You can even Google it now and check the price of a medication you are curious about. Best, Bansah1
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Thanks for sharing this @Bansah1
GoodRx seems like a great option for saving on medications.
I ll definitely consider searching about various coupon options.
Thank you once again 
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Hi @Katniss_L,
You bet. That is what we are here for. Please let us know how things go from time to time. Best, Bansah1
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Thanks I definitely will. Looking forward to staying in touch.
Best
KL
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Good day here, please I need help and all the advice I can get.
I was diagnosed for Hep B October 2024 while doing medical for a job offer I got in Saudi. Unfortunately that affected my job offer, and I couldn’t proceed with the visa as they don’t allow hep B patients into the country. Tough enough for me to handle, i didn’t want to lose my job,I confirmed the test elsewhere it was still positive, I ran IgM test it came out negative, my surface antigen was 82 as at then, unfortunately I didn’t do viral load test. After a month I checked again hoping it’d be an acute infection , nothing changed and I was advised to start treatment, hoping that it can go before the window for the job closes, unfortunately I lost the Job cus there was no progress with eradicating the disease 
.
I started Tenofovir per recommendation, after a month of usage, I went to test , tested positive again, so I stopped it. Decided to wait after 6 months to run another test. It’s roughly 6 months now and nothing has changed, I just ran my viral load test and it read something around 2million. Rn i don’t know what to do again, I have a consultation scheduled for next week. I need help with every information I can get here please 
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Also, I will like to know, can hep B prevent one from getting US visa for study?
Thank you all, I’ll be expecting feedback soon.
Hi @TheVet,
Welcome to the community. Sorry to hear that you lost a job opportunity due to this. From everything you have shared, it is possible your infection was chronic with a negative IgM test, and stopping treatment was the wrong move. HBV can stay in the body for years without any symptoms. It is never recommended without the guidance of a doctor to stop your antiviral therapy. It unleashes the virus and its effect on the liver. Getting back on treatment to get your viral load back down to avoid further liver damage is the best solution. Please follow your doctor’s advice/recommendation next time.
With this viral load, you need to be safe around others, as you can easily infect others. The US does not deny people visas based on their HBV status. Thanks, Bansah1
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Oh thank you very much @Bansah1 , we were thinking it’s probably an acute infection because there were no symptoms, and it was l newly diagnosed, I guess that’s what not having enough knowledge does, now I know better, I’ll kickstart the treatment as soon as I meet with the Dr. Thank you very much🙏🏾. The last thing I want is to be a source of transmission to others, so surely, I’ll adhere to the recommendation .
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Hi @TheVet,
Based on your igM being negative I believe you probably have a chronic infection. Anyway, as I have mentioned it’s possible that you have had it for all these years and just never showed any symptoms. Plus you only found out during the visa process makes me lean towards it being chronic.
You don’t have to be hard on yourself for not having much knowledge about HBV. I hope you can see the doctor soon. Best, Bansah1.
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Hello @TheVet
Thanks for sharing and sorry you lost your job.
In Australia, they don’t discriminate so you would be allowed into Australia with chronic Hepatitis B.
@Bansah1 is correct in what he has said. You must listen to the doctor. Specially with Hep b because the disease does not have symptoms until lots of damage has been done or irreversible damage. It’s not like other diseases so please listen to your doctor and do not stop the treatment because that can cause problems also. The other thing is you stay on treatment for life it is only one tablet a day I’ve had no side-effects and most people don’t have side-effects. Maybe your stomach may feel a bit upset in the beginning, but that passes the medication/treatment stops the virus from damaging your liver, which would stop you getting liver cancer.
Best of luck for the future stay in touch. We have lots of information for you to read. If you like. Also be aware of exaggerated information on the web it can be quite scary, but our form is a scientific based form.
Blessings
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Thank you for your words of encouragement, I’ll revert on the progress as soon as I can.
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Hi @Bansah1 @Caraline @ThomasTu and the US based clinicians on Hep B for immigrants, a good morning to y’all.
I’m happy to say that ive started my treatment, and so far I’ve been responding well without no notable side effect.
My major concern today is that, I just got a scholarship to study at the US for fall 2025, what are the chances of Hep B causing a visa rejection?. I know I’ve read that it’s not a definite cause for refusal, however one can be rejected if they deem such person as a public health risk.
What are recommendations, steps I should take and advice you all can give me to fully prepare ahead to prevent this from happening, please I don’t want to lose this opportunity like I lost the previous one🙏🏾.
What should I tell the medical clinicians, what are the things I need to start working on from now, please I need y’all help on this issue.
Thank you
Hi @TheVet,
Congratulations on your scholarship offer! Under current rules, HBV is not a condition that will cause a visa rejection. More information can be found at the Hep B Foundation website (U.S. Schools and Education » Hepatitis B Foundation), they are the go-to for Hep B in the US. @chari.cohen, @CFreeland, @beatrice.zovich are there any other resources or procedures @TheVet should know about?
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Hi @TheVet,
I agree with @ThomasTu. With that said, the immigration system in the US is currently a mess. The things that were accepted in the past might not be as straightforward today. Just something to keep in mind as you work through the process. I wish you the best of luck, and fingers crossed that you are successful.
And when you get to a consulate or an embassy for your visa interview, just be honest and truthful. Don’t overthink the questions you are asked. If a question is not clear, ask for clarification or for it to be rephrased. And if you need an interpreter, request one. Don’t dig yourself a pit that you will end up falling into, be it a lie or not being truthful. They will find out. Best, Bansah1
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