Hepatitis B vaccinations pushed

2 weeks ago

0 Less than a minute

MUFID MAJNUN-UNSPLASH

CHILDREN must be vaccinated against Hepatitis B to prevent a liver cancer outbreak in 2024, a congressman and former health secretary said on Thursday.

“Come 2042 to 2045, many could have liver cancer or Hepatocellular Carcinoma in the Philippines due to unvaccinated children,” Iloilo Rep. Janette L. Garin said in a statement in Filipino.

The World Health Organization (WHO) raised the alarm against the disease earlier this month as figures showed that around 3,500 people die from viral hepatitis daily.

Hepatitis B is transmitted through blood and other bodily fluids entering the body through wounds, during birth and delivery, and sexual intercourse.

With Hepatitis B accounting for 1.3 million deaths annually, WHO said it is not surprising that it is blamed for 83% of deaths due to the liver disease.

“If someone not vaccinated contracts Hepatitis B, there is a 30% chance that it can progress to Hepatocellular Carcinoma, a deadly type of liver cancer,” Ms. Garin said. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio