8 million Vietnamese people will get hepatitis B by 2020

According to the Ministry of Health, patients with hepatitis B account for 8-25% of the population, and it is estimated that by 2020 there will be 8 million Vietnamese people infected with chronic hepatitis B virus.

According to the report of the World Health Organization (WHO), viral hepatitis is the 7th leading cause of death worldwide. Currently there are between 6 and 10 million people suffering from this disease, 1.4 million deaths each year, of which the most are hepatitis C (48%), B (47%), and the rest are hepatitis A and E. The injecting drug users are at greatest risk of infection due to sharing of needles and syringes, with an estimated 10 million people who inject drugs have about 10 million cases of hepatitis C.

The Ministry of Health recommends that hepatitis virus is the third leading cause of death in the country , of which the highest proportion is hepatitis B. Investigation of the global burden of disease shows Vietnam in the group with high rates of hepatitis B and C infection in the general population, severely affected by the disease. The rate of hepatitis B virus infection averaged 8-25%, hepatitis C 2.5-4.1%. In addition, there were cases of hepatitis A, D, and E. Especially among injecting drug users, 54% had hepatitis C.

The proportion of people suffering from this disease varies among localities. Highest in Ha Noi 25.5%, followed by Vinh Phuc 23.2%, Lam Dong 16.74%, Khanh Hoa 15.48%, HCMC 11.3% . Situation of hepatitis B virus infection in the group of pregnant women is quite high. This is an important factor that causes hepatitis B in newborns and is a major cause of chronic hepatitis in children. Studies show that 90% of children with hepatitis B after birth or in the first years of life are at risk of becoming chronic hepatitis B. This is considered a serious medical problem.

Viral hepatitis is the 7th leading cause of death worldwide.

The Department of Preventive Medicine recognizes the long-term consequences of viral hepatitis that lead to chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, and liver cancer, which increases the cost burden for the health sector and the whole society. Meanwhile, the prevention and treatment of this disease in our country is still difficult, especially at the district and commune level, which lacks facilities, treatment equipment and medicines. The unit has sufficient capacity to treat hepatitis concentrated mainly in the end-line hospitals in major cities. Particularly, hepatitis C does not yet have a vaccine, the main treatment is to take medicine but it is difficult for patients with hepatitis C to have access to new antiviral drugs due to high costs , not covered by health insurance or Not yet licensed for circulation in Vietnam. On the other hand, not fully complying with the treatment regimen may reduce the effectiveness of treatment.

Hepatitis B is completely preventable if the vaccine is used early and properly, so the World Health Organization recommends that all children be vaccinated against hepatitis B. For children In areas with a high prevalence of hepatitis B virus, like our country, it should be administered within 24 hours after birth and doses followed by the vaccination schedule.

In the context of increasing burden of viral liver disease, WHO called for the cooperation of countries in the prevention of disease with the goal of no longer spreading viral hepatitis around the world, all patients were taken care of Safe and effective care and treatment.

In another perspective, Dr. Duong Thi Hong, Deputy Director of the Central Hygiene and Epidemiology, worried that in recent years, there have been some cases of vaccination-related accidents that many parents are puzzled for their children. go for an injection. Hospitals are also afraid of implementing vaccinations because of fear of risks. Since then, the vaccination rate has decreased. This is one of the causes of infectious diseases, including hepatitis.

According to Ms. Hong, the rate of accidents due to vaccination in our country is within the limits allowed by WHO, however, the health sector is trying to implement solutions to reduce this risk. Recently, the Ministry of Health organized many training courses for vaccination officers to detect early signs of anaphylaxis after injection, timely management and proper methods to save lives of children with severe complications. In addition, it also instructs parents how to detect early signs of accidents to promptly bring them to the medical facility to handle them properly.

The WHO survey in Vietnam shows that the rate of hepatitis C increases because most people and patients lack knowledge about the disease so there is no concept of screening, treatment and prevention of spread. Many subjective patients believe that they are not at risk for this virus, so they do not conduct early tests, unknowingly spreading pathogens to those around them.

There are 5 types of viral hepatitis. Hepatitis B and C are transmitted through blood and body fluids, similar to HIV transmission (blood, sex, mother to child). Hepatitis D is only transmitted when hepatitis B is present and there are 3 similar transmission routes. Hepatitis A and E are transmitted through the fecal-oral route (the virus passes from the stool of an infected person to food and drink, the healthy person comes into contact with the virus through contaminated food and drinks). Currently there are only vaccines for hepatitis A and B.