THE Hepatitis B virus, which is found to be 100 times more infectious than the AIDS virus, is on a silent rampage in the Philippines. Hepa-B, as it is commonly called, is the most known cause of cancer and cirrhosis. The Department of Health (DOH) reported that 70 percent or 58 million Filipinos had already been exposed to the Hepatiris-B virus. Of the said number, 10 to 12 percent or 7 million are chronically infected, and 30 percent or 2.1 million will develop liver ailments when they hit the age of 30 to 50.
One thing that makes the Hepa-B virus surreptitiously deadly is the fact that most of its victims remain asymptomatic for years, which make them walking time bombs. Like the dreaded AIDS, Hepatitis-B can be transmitted through unprotected sexual intercourse, blood transfusion, use of contaminated needle, or from an infected pregnant mother to her child during delivery.
The menace of Hepatitis-B is an impending doom not only to the Philippines but the rest of the world. Statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO) indicate that as many as 2 billion people globally have been infected with the virus. An estimated 350 million people are chronic carriers and at least 1 million die each year from the disease, making it the ninth leading cause of death worldwide. In the Philippines, lung cancer is the No. 1 cause of death and tugging closely at No. 2 is liver cancer, which is the usual consequence of contracting the Hepa-B virus. Joining forces To raise awareness on the dangers of Hepatitis-B, top medical practitioners in the field of gastroenterology and infectious diseases will join hands and minds for the third Hepatitis-B Summit on February 22 at the New World Hotel in Makati.
This year’s summit is a collaborative effort of the Philippine Society of Gastroenterology, Hepatology Society of the Philippines (HSP), Philippine Foundation for Vaccination, Philippine Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society (POGS), Philippine College of Occupational Medicine and Private Schools Health Officers Association. The DoH and the WHO will also participate in the event with support from GlaxoSmithKline and the Medical Observer.
In the press briefing for the event, the following physicians sat on the panel of experts: Dr. Erlinda V. Valdellon, president of HSP; Dr. Lulu C. Bravo, professor of pediatrics; Dr. Jose D. Sollano Jr., professor of medicine; Dr. Jaime D. Ignacio, chief gastroenterologist of the Veterans Memorial Hospital, Dr. Lyndon Lee Sy, DoH representative, and Dr. Jean-Marc Olivé, WHO country representative.
Vaccination
Despite the threat that Hepatitis-B poses, the good news is there is a vaccine available to combat the disease. The WHO released a universal guideline in 1990 stating that all newborn babies should be given a shot of anti-Hepa-B vaccine within 24-hours after birth. It took the Philippines 17 years before this preventive measure was aggressively pushed.
Just recently, the DOH under the leadership of Secretary Francisco Duque 3rd acquired the country’s supply of after-birth anti-Hepa-B vaccine for 2006 to 2007. It is also during Duque’s tenure that the anti-Hepa-B birth-dose policy was signed in September 2006. Rallying for the cause in the Senate was Sen. Pia Cayetano who pushed for the 100-percent appropriation of the budget for Hepa-B vaccine until 2010. Despite these commendable efforts, there is one last thing that stands in the way of a successful vaccination campaign and that is a pending legislation in the Senate that will make the birth-dose policy into a law.
Prevention and early detection
As in any other disease, prevention and early detection are the keys to saving lives from Hepatitis B. Sollano, in his lecture at the press briefing said that not only can detection prolong the life of a Hepa-B carrier but it can also save him from financial woes.
Using figures from a United States study on how much money a patient might spend on treatment at various stages of the disease, he reported that a person who submits himself to voluntary testing early, spends around $65 on various medical expenditures upon discovering the disease. However, those whose diseases are already in the advance stage, such as patients who have already developed liver cancer or cirrhosis, the amount could go as high as $19,000 to $22,000. Vaccination is clearly better and cheaper than early detection, Sollano emphasized. Studies further show that the Hepa-B vaccine has a 98- to 100-percent rate of success when administered very early in life. Indonesia, Taiwan and Nauru all have minimal statistics of liver cancer in their territories because of aggressive vaccination campaign against the disease.
For more details regarding the Hepa-B Summit, call the Hepa-B hotlines at: (02) 893-9355; (0915) 294-2255; (0918) 692-9742 or e-mail hepab_summit@yahoo.com. Registration is free.(click here for more facts about Hepatitis A/B)
VP-Crewing Arleen Asuncion (center) poses with (L-R) AJMan Operations Manager John Mercado, AJMan Business Development & Operations Manager Vivian Ongpin, Asst. Crewing Manager Ashlyn Cedeño & Business Development Manager Gery Massalang at one of two Abojeb booths during Job Seek 2007 at SM Cebu Trade Hall held July 20-21, 2007.
