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7.3 MILLION FILIPINOS HAVE HEPATITIS B

DOH urges HepB shots within 24 hours of birth


The Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday kicked off its campaign to encourage mothers to vaccinate their babies against hepatitis B within the first 24 hours of the child's life.

Entitled "Sa Unang 24 Oras, Bakunahan Si Baby Kontra Hepa B", the campaign aims to curb the number of chronic hepatitis B cases in the country by inoculating infants against the disease.

The DOH mandate to drive down the number of hepatitis cases is in line with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal to eradicate viral hepatitis by 2030.

According to Dr. Jose Gerard Belimac of the DOH Disease Prevention and Control Bureau, 7.3 million Filipinos—or nearly one in 10—have hepatitis B. One million have hepatitis C.

Mother to child is #1 route of transmission

"Based sa studies, ang number one route of transmission is from mother to child dito sa atin sa bansa," Hepatology Society of the Philippines president Dr. Ian Cua explained on Thursday.

Hepatitis B is the third leading cause of liver cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death in the Philippines, he added. Thirty to 40 percent of all hepatitis B cases result in liver cirrhosis (which could lead to liver failure) and 25 to 30 percent can lead to liver cancer.

Vaccinate early

The DOH officially recommends four doses of the hepatitis B vaccine: the initial dose within the first 24 hours of the infant's life; another within 6 weeks; the third at 10 weeks; and the fourth at 14 weeks.

"After one dose magkakaroon talaga ng antibody, yung immune response, so for every additional na vaccine dose, tumataas po yung tsansa na magdevelop sila ng antibody response sa vaccine," Cua said.

Mothers need not worry about the cost as Republic Act No. 10152 or the “Mandatory Infants and Children Health Immunization Act of 2011” mandates free immunization of children against hepatitis B and other diseases at any government hospitals.

"'Pag dineliver sa lying-in, kasama ito sa reimbursement na ibinibigay ng PhilHealth dun sa facility para ganahan silang mag-serbisyo," DOH Undersecretary for Technical Services Gerardo Bayugo added.

East Avenue Medical Center director Dr. Roland L. Cortez said beneficiaries identified by the Department of Social Welfare and Development's (DSWD) National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) are automatically enrolled to PhilHealth for appropriate medical aid.

Those who have yet to be enrolled, Cortez said, are automatically included in the insurance system free of charge.

"Ine-enroll na rin namin sila based on the point of care na tinatawag, so hospital ang nagbabayad," Cortez said.

Adult hepatitis B carriers are also supported by a 2010 advisory by the Department of Labor and Employment that forbids discriminatory practices against workers with hepatitis B.

Clearing up myths

HSP Secretary Dr. Jade Jamias clarified that hepatitis B can only be contracted through blood transfusions, intravenous drug use, sexual contact, or vertical transmission through birth.

"Ang sanggol ay maaaring mahawa ng hepatitis B ng kanyang nanay sa oras ng kanyang kapanganakan," Jamias said.

Only hepatitis A can be spread through contact with oral or fecal matter from the infected.

Preventing the transmission of hepatitis B to infants with uninfected mothers is, as Jamias repeatedly stressed, the main reason to have one's child vaccinated early.

"Palagi nating ine-emphasize ngayong araw na ito, bago tayo magkaron ng impeksyon na 'yan, mas magandang maiwasan mahawa sa pamamagitan ng pagbabakuna," Jamias repeated.

Chronic hepatitis B and C infections are mostly asymptomatic and may not manifest any ill effects until the carrier is 30 years old.

Acute cases normally manifest through flu-like symptoms, easy fatigue, and loss of appetite.

Stomach aches and diarrhea could be present but are more common in hepatitis A patients.

Patients may also experience jaundice, or yellow discoloration of the skin and the whites of one's eyes, and have their urine turn tea-colored.

Jamias said not all cases of jaundice stem from hepatitis, nor do hepatitis B patients need to have their possessions separated as the hepatitis B virus can only be found in bodily fluids such as sperm, vaginal fluid, and blood.

He added that sugar will not cure the disease and vaccines, which work 97 to 99 percent of the time, may not completely take hold with some patients.

"May mga pasyenteng hindi masyadong nasistimulate ang kanilang immune system para magproduce ng antibodies against doon sa bakunang ibinigay sa kanila," Jamias said.

Living with hepatitis

The condition of infants who acquired the disease from their mothers must be monitored to see if they require treatment, as vaccines will no longer work.

This goes for adults who have been infected as well.

While only supportive treatment can be given to acute hepatitis B patients, chronic hepatitis B patients whose condition is active can take interferon or nucleotide analogues to drop their viral count.

"Ito po yung mga pasyente na mataas yung SGPT [enzyme]. Mataas yung kanilang viral load, at tsaka may ebidensya na malala na yung kundisyon. Ito po kailangan natin silang gamutin," Cua said.

Carriers with inactive conditions must still get tested in case their conditions turn active. — BM, GMA News

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