Over 8,000 Pinoys have Hepa B — doc

Encouraged by the positive response to the first Hepatitis B summit held in Manila, organizers have brought the second leg of the summit in Cebu in a bid to strengthen efforts to create widespread awareness about the disease.

Dr. Judy Lao Tan, consultant and a member of the board of directors of the Hepatology Society of the Philippines, said Hepatitis B is one of the most serious diseases in our country today with more than 8,000 Filipinos are being affected.

Tan said that liver cancer is one of the top 10 cancers among Cebuanos with 1,175 cases recorded among men and 392 among women from 1998 to 2002.

She said that in the country, there are around 7,629 diagnosed new cases of liver cancer recorded in 2005 and that at least 7,477 of those affected by the disease have died.

The disease can be transmitted in two ways either by horizontal or vertical transmission. Horizontal transmission is through contaminated needles, child to child, blood transfusion and others, while vertical transmission is acquired from mother to infant.

Tan said that six percent of the horizontal transmission cases become chronically infected in the future while 90 percent of the infected infants will also be chronically infected. This means that those who acquired the disease through vertical transmission have lesser chances of survival compared to the horizontal transmission.

Tan said that immunization of all newborns is the only way to prevent the disease. While chronic Hepatitis B can be diagnosed beginning with a simple blood test, regular monitoring is necessary to help prevent progression to cirrhosis or liver cancer.

The summit, which was held at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino, addressed three key issues: prevention through vaccination, disease management and employability of Hepatitis B patients.

Many patients encounter difficulties in securing employment requirements for their health records. It was recommended that a complete serologic and biochemical evaluation and imaging, as well as a standard medical evaluation, are needed.

The World Health Organization consider Hepatitis B as the most serious liver disease that can affect any person at any age. The disease is one of the most common in Asia.

Hepatitis B virus can be transferred directly between sexual partners, from mother to unborn child in the womb, by blood transfusion or through accidental used-needle injection. - Jasmin R. Uy