13 Million Pinoys Have Hepa B

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13 Million Pinoys Have Hepa B
http://www.sunstar.com.ph

AT LEAST 13 million Filipinos or sixteen percent of the country's total population are carriers of the Hepatitis B virus, the Department of Health (DOH) revealed on Monday.

"The Philippines currently has one of the highest carrier rates in the world for the HBV virus at 16 percent, which is a leap higher than our figures more than 20 years ago," said Health Secretary Francisco Duque III.

Duque said Hepa B carriers are at risk of developing liver cirrhosis and later on liver cancer if they are not vaccinated or given the proper treatment. He also said there is still no cure for liver cancer but a "safe and effective vaccine" can be done to prevent it.

From the 12 percent rate for Hepatitis B cases in the country in 1980, it went up to 16 percent this year, Duque said noting that 75 percent to 95 percent of liver cancers are caused by Hepatitis B infection.

Duque revealed that there are an estimated 7,600 new cases in the Philippines, which is seven percent of all the total cancer cases in the country. Deaths due to liver cancer in 2005 were at 7,477.

"Our best shield is really for universal vaccination of all the 2.3 million Filipino infants born each year with the first dose delivered within 24 hours of birth," said Duque during a press conference on Hepatitis B and Liver Cancer held at the Jose Fabella Hospital.

Since 1992, Hepatitis B vaccination has been included in the regular immunization schedule of children but due to the lack of budget, it has not been implemented nationwide.

But Dr. Ernesto Domingo, vice president of the Philippine Cancer Society on the other hand, said insisting on a 24-hour vaccination for newborn babies is "non-realistic", particularly in the case of mothers who are carriers of the virus.

"When there is active viral replication, unborn infants in the womb would be 100 percent infected," said Domingo.

In the same breath however, he said there is still a need to immunize children from birth and to complete the three doses of vaccination.

Meanwhile, Duque said the government has to take an active role in eradicating the virus, noting that after two decades the country still lags behind its neighboring countries in the implementation of Hepatitis B vaccination.

As one of the countries with endemic cases of Hepatitis B, we can never be complacent, we can do early prevention," he said. (MSN/Sunnex)