Health expert urges public to get tested for Hepatitis B

A health expert on Friday urged the public to get tested for Hepatitis B, saying that it is considered as hyper-endemic in the Philippines.

Hepatology Society of the Philippines vice-president Dr. Wendell Espinosa said that only one out of 10 patients living with Hepatitis B know their diagnosis, adding that those nine patients are unaware that they are infected.

“Inaadvocate po natin na magpascreen po lahat ng Pilipino this is because Philippines is considered as hyper-endemic area worldwide sa Hepatitis B. Usong uso po ang Hepatitis B sa atin yun nga lang po hindi natin makikita so kailangan natin itest,” Espinosa said at the Department of Health (DOH) Kapihan forum.

Espinosa said Hepatitis B is one of the most common infections in the world, which is caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV) that attacks and destroys the liver of a person.

He said more than 257 million people live with Hepatitis B worldwide. In the Philippines, one out of seven Filipinos are infected with Hepatitis B.

Meanwhile, more than one million individuals worldwide died due to complications caused by Hepatitis B. He added that among the complications are liver cancer, liver cirrhosis, and liver failure.

At least 10 to 30 million individuals are yearly infected worldwide with Hepatitis B, according to Espinosa.

He said that  the most common mode of transmission in the Philippines is mother-to-child transmission.

“Hindi po ito ibig sabihin na genetic disease po ito yun nga lang po may infection yung nanay and because of the child birth ma-eexpose yung sanggol sa blood ng nanay. Hence, nahahawa si baby,” Espinosa said.

Other risk factors are due to infected blood, sharing of syringe, and unprotected sex, he said.

Espinosa, meanwhile, debunked myths that Hepatitis B can be transmitted through hugging, shaking of hands, coughing, sharing of food, comfort rooms, and utensils.

He said among the symptoms of Hepatitis B are yellowing of the skin, abdominal pain, body pain, and fever.

“But most of the time, wala silang sakit na nararamdaman so wala pong signs and symptoms. Ika nga tinatawag nila itong ‘silent killer’ kasi nga wala silang nararamdaman. Makikita mo lang yung sintomas paghuli na. [They won't feel any pain and they won't have signs and symptoms. It is called silent killer because a person won't feel anything. You will only see the signs if it's too late already.] So it will be really better if you diagnose it early,” he said.

The doctor said those who should be prioritized in testing are the individuals living in a household with Hepatitis B positive persons, have sexual contacts with Hepatitis B individuals, persons who injected drugs, and persons with multiple sexual partners or have history of sexually transmitted disease.

He added that all pregnant women, inmates of correctional facilities, individuals with HIV, patients undergoing renal dialysis, and persons needing immunosuppressive therapy must also be tested.

“We advocate po na sana i-reduce yung cost ng testing being a third world country may kamahalan din po yung mga tests, depending on the laboratory or hospital you are inquiring,” he said.

Espinosa also called ton he government to make testing sites more available for the public.

He advised to avoid sharing needles and have proper hygiene to avoid the transmission of the infection.

“One way to combat Hepatitis B is through vaccination. Sino ba ang dapat bakunahan? Lahat po tayong Pilipino magpabakuna dahil hyper-endemic, very rampant yung Hepatitis B sa Pilipinas,” he said.

"Who are those needed to be vaccinated? All of us Filipinos because Hepatitis B is very rampant.]

He added that the DOH encouraged parents to get their babies vaccinated on the first 24 hours of birth as studies showed that it is very effective. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News