Hepa B summit addresses key issues

The country’s First Hepatitis B Summit concluded with key recommendations from various medical groups for the control of hepatitis B.

Three of the most important issues addressed during the summit revolved around prevention through vaccination, disease management, and employability of hepatitis B patients.

Hepatitis B, considered by the World Health Organization as the most common serious liver infection in the world, can infect any person at any age. It is associated with liver cancer, which is one of the most common in Asia.

The hepatitis B virus (HBV) can be transferred directly between sexual partners, from mother to unborn child in the womb, by blood transfusion, or through accidental used needle injection. This is why screening and vaccination play a major role in preventing chronic hepatitis B (CHB).

Dr. Lulu Bravo, vice chancellor for research and executive director of the National Institute of Health-UP Manila, and executive director of the Philippine Foundation for Vaccination (PFV), stressed the importance of vaccination as a means of prevention.

However, she said that pre-screening is important to determine if a patient is a hepatitis B virus carrier. This is especially critical for high-risk patients such as sexually active individuals, overseas Filipino workers, and health care professionals.

On the other hand, all newborn babies should receive hepatitis B vaccine at birth or within 12 hours for immediate protection.

CHB can be diagnosed beginning with a simple blood test. Regular monitoring by a liver specialist is necessary to help prevent progression to cirrhosis and/or cancer. Vaccination of family members and sexual partners are recommended.

Vaccines are most effective when administered routinely especially among infants as part of their immunization schedule.

Dr. Jose Sollano Jr., president of the Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver (APASL), emphasized the proper implementation of disease management.

This includes short-and long-term therapeutic goals that would eventually lead to the ultimate goal of eliminating the HBV.

Short-term therapy will help reduce liver inflammation. Long-term therapy will suppress HBV, thus reducing the progression of the disease to cirrhosis.

Sollano said it is important to sustain therapy to avoid reproduction of the virus, and thus, resumption or worsening of the disease.

Another important issue raised during the summit was employability. Many patients encounter difficulties in securing employment requirements for health records.

To address this issue, Dr. Jaime Ignacio, public relations officer of the Hepatology Society of the Philippines (HSP), touched on the importance of solid evidence indicating a patient’s status as "unfit for employment" due to illness brought about by HBV.

He recommended a complete serologic and biochemical evaluation and imaging, as well as a standard medical evaluation.

The summit was a timely gathering for doctors who play a major role in the control of CHB.

In a study made by a research group called Synovate Healthcare, most patients suffering from CHB in the Philippines were not aware that they were carriers of the virus.

The same study also revealed that CHB patients have a poor understanding of the disease.

The First Hepatitis B Summit was attended by doctors and members of various medical societies, including the APASL, HSP, PFV, Philippine Society for Gastroenterology, Philippine Cancer Society, and Philippine Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (PASLD).

The Specialists who delivered key information during the summit included Dr. Erlinda Valdellon (Burdensome B), Bravo (Shooting Down Hepa B in Southeast Asia), Sollano (Suppression of Virulence), Dr. Diana Payawal (Treating It Right), Dr. Jaime Ignacio (Risk vs Right), Dr. Cecilia Montalban (Shooting Adults), and Dr. Joseph Bocobo (Hepa B Beyond Reasonable Doubt).

Sen. Pia Cayetano, an advocate of vaccination at birth, was a special guest speaker during the press conference held after the summit.