Doctors call for increased govt support for treatment vs. viral hepatitis

Doctors' groups on Tuesday called on the government to support increased awareness and screening and treatment plans for viral hepatitis, a preventable condition that has affected at least 8 million Filipinos.
 

In a forum organized by the Philippine College of Physicians, Dr. Eternity Labio, president of the Hepatology Society of the Philippines, said the government should follow the mandate set by the World Health Organization in 2010 and 2014, calling for member-countries to come up with a "comprehensive approach to prevention and control of vital hepatitis."

 

Labio said that while the government has taken steps—such as mandatory Hepatitis B vaccination for infants and a workplace policy concerning those carrying the virus—a lot still needs to be done, particularly at raising awareness and collating proper data on the condition. 
 

The latest available data on the prevalence of the virus dates back from 2004, where the Philippines recorded 16.7 percent, twice the rate considered "high," she added.

 

"We do not have statistics [on which we can] base our claims," she said when asked about the prevalence of Hepatitis B now. "But we feel it, we face a lot of patients. Putting up a registry requires [support from] the government."

 

She added: "Patients don't like to come forward because of the stigma. Baka mas marami na sa 8 million. As far as treatment, halos walang datos."

 

Hepatitis B

 

While "preventable," with vaccine readily available, Hepatitis B affects one in eight adult Filipinos, two of whom will likely develop liver cirrhosis or liver cancer, Labio said.

 

"This is a public health problem," she said, adding that this virus -- not alcohol drinking -- is the most common cause for the said liver diseases.

 

Liver cancer is the fourth most common and the second most fatal kind of cancer in the Philippines, she added.

 

Another source of problem, she said, was the "lack of awareness and education" among the public, including employers and even healthcare providers.

 

"You cannot get Hepatitis B through casual contact," she said. "The most common way to transmit it is by passing it on to the baby at birth."

 

She added that one can also be infected through sexual contact, as well as exposure to contaminated blood or body fluids.

 

Stigma in the workplace

 

But even while it hasn't developed into a liver disease, Hepatitis B affects a lot of people who are turned down by prospective employers once they test positive for it.

 

According to Atty. Eric Ueda of the advocacy group Yellow Warriors Society of the Philippines, "Maraming providers ng pamilya ang hindi natatanggap sa trabaho dahil sa stigma. Without a law addressing this problem, it will continue dito sa bansa natin."

 

While no law has been put in place yet, the Department of Labor and Employment has issued a "workplace policy" to prevent discrimination of Hepatitis B carriers in employment. (http://www.oshc.dole.gov.ph/UserFiles/oshc2010/file/DOLE_Department_Advisory_No_%2005_S_2010%281%29.pdf)

 

In 2010, Senator Pia Cayetano filed Resolution No. 146, "Directing the Senate Committee on Health and Demography to Look Into, in Aid of Legislation, the Existing Government Programs to Address the Employment Problem of People who have Hepatitis B Infection." 
 

Labio said screening for the infection should instead be made optional to prevent the discrimination.

 

The screening, initially conducted in pre-employment medical examination as required by employers overseas, "somehow made it in local employment," she added.

 

"You have to screen for the right reasons, and give good advice," she said.

 

Vaccination

 

Citing the importance of vaccination among adults, Ueda said, "There must be a law which the DOH (Department of Health) can implement."

 

For her part, Labio said they are working on getting PhilHealth to subsidize screening and treatment for Hepatitis B. Currently the service shoulders vaccination -- free birth dose and one of three doses free for adults.

 

She also called on carriers of the infection to see a doctor to come up with a treatment plan.

 

"You can live a normal life even if you are a carrier. Basta magpatingin ka lang," she said. —NB, GMA News