Early Identification and Linkage to Care of Foreign-Born People with Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection, Multnomah County, Oregon, 2012-2014

Objective. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a global health concern, with a large proportion of high-risk individuals unaware of their infection status. People born in countries with medium to high endemicity of HBV should be tested and linked to care. We describe a program that improved identification and linkage to care for refugees and immigrants at the Multnomah County Health Department in Oregon. Methods. We instituted outreach clinics and community referrals and expanded refugee screening to identify foreign-born people at risk for HBV. We obtained data from electronic health records and electronic laboratory reporting, including patient demographics, hepatitis B testing variables, vaccination history, and—for positive cases—risk-factor and linkage-to-care data. All results were entered into an Internet-based data collection tool. For this analysis, we only used results for testing performed from October 2012 through June 2014. Results. We screened 2,087 foreign-born people for HBV infection and identified 77 (4%) people with positive results. HBV infection prevalence varied by site, with 7% of HBV-positive people identified through the outreach and voucher program and 3% identified through refugee screening. Of the 77 people testing positive for HBV, 72 (94%) were successfully linked to care, of whom 68 (94%) attended their first follow-up visit. Conclusion. Implementation of a culturally competent screening program among immigrants and refugees in Multnomah County improved case finding and subsequent linkage to care.