Hepatitis is a huge public health concern in the Philippines according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The month of January is observed in the Philippines as Liver Cancer and Hepatitis Awareness and Prevention month. This year’s theme, “Malusog na Atay, Masayang Buhay”, aimed to increase people’s awareness in preventing liver diseases.
According to the WHO, around one in 10 Filipinos have chronic hepatitis B, and six in 1,000 have chronic hepatitis C, but due to a lack of awareness, people may not know that they have it until it is too late. This is an infection that can cause liver inflammation, and if not treated early enough, this may cause liver damage through scarring and cirrhosis, which reduces the liver’s ability to remove toxins from the blood.
Hepatitis A can be contracted by eating foods contaminated with human waste or urine of individuals infected with the virus. However, there are four more types of hepatitis, which includes Hepatitis B, which can be spread through sexual contact with contaminated blood, semen, or other body fluids; Hepatitis C, which can be spread through sharing needles with contaminated blood; Hepatitis D, which usually accompanies Hepatitis B; and Hepatitis E, which is spread through fecal-contaminated food and water. Both Hepatitis A and E are usually just quick (acute) infections not lasting more than 6 months, while Hepatitis B, C, and D, can cause both quick and long-term infections, that may progress to liver cancer if left untreated.
Due to the hidden nature of this disease, many individuals do not know that they have hepatitis. Acute hepatitis may show symptoms such as fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, light-colored stools, joint pain, and jaundice which can appear anytime from 2 weeks to 6 months, while chronic hepatitis may not show any symptoms at all, aside from ongoing fatigue and mild symptoms of acute hepatitis.
This is why the WHO is pushing for hepatitis testing and treatment services in the Philippines to prevent the spread and further progression of the disease among the population. This includes the provision of safe and effective vaccines against viral hepatitis, the screening of blood used for transfusion, safe injection practices, safe sex practices, as well as the consumption of clean and safe food and water.
Hepatitis is a silent killer, but preventable. We can prevent the spread of viral hepatitis by frequently washing our hands with clean water and soap for 20 seconds after using the bathroom, changing a diaper, and before eating or preparing food. We can also get vaccinated, along with the children in our family against hepatitis.
Written by: PDO I Aubrie S. Verceles and RNPC Milagros Elisa V. Federizo
Sources:
- https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/liver-disease/viral-hepatitis
- https://www.who.int/philippines/news/commentaries/detail/ph-must-act-to-eliminate-hepatitis
- https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/
- https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/4245-hepatitis-viral-hepatitis-a-b--c
- https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/prevention-and-control-of-viral-hepatitis-infection-framework-for-global-action
