Regarding this issue, Associate Professor, Dr. Do Duy Cuong, Director of the Center for Tropical Diseases (Bach Mai Hospital) shared: Vietnam currently has about 10 million people infected with hepatitis B virus and nearly 1 million people infected with hepatitis C virus. However, the rate of patients being detected and managed is still very modest. If not well controlled, many of them will develop cirrhosis or liver cancer.

Every day, the Tropical Disease Center records many patients who come for examination and hospitalization but do not know they are infected with hepatitis B and C virus because most of them have silent and discreet symptoms, and when they come to the hospital, they have complications of cirrhosis or even liver cancer. Although hepatitis patients are currently detected, managed and monitored periodically at specialized clinics or are given medication under the health insurance program, some patients, after taking medication for a period of time, feel better and stop taking the medication on their own, leading to dangerous complications such as acute liver failure, decompensated cirrhosis, liver cancer, etc.

Treatment of hepatitis B is lifelong, so patients need to be closely monitored and managed by a specialist. If the medication is stopped or discontinued, the virus will flare up, leading to acute liver failure. Many patients come to the Center due to stopping medication, not complying with treatment with symptoms of jaundice, yellow eyes, signs of cirrhosis, high liver enzymes and liver failure. There is a vaccine for hepatitis B. Therefore, patients need to be screened, detected early and treated promptly. Hepatitis B and C medications are now covered by health insurance, so patients do not have to worry much about the cost of treatment. It is important that people are aware of the dangers of hepatitis to their health and follow the recommendations of experts.

Women should be screened for hepatitis B virus infection before marriage or when pregnant to monitor, manage and treat to prevent mother-to-child transmission. Currently, the rate of hepatitis B infection from mother to child is still very high, mostly because pregnant women are not screened for hepatitis B and when their children are born, they are not given antiserum and hepatitis B vaccine. As a result, children will be infected with the virus from a young age, leaving a huge burden of disease later on.

For any health-related questions, please send them to the “Your Doctor” section, Economic-Social-Internal Affairs Editorial Department, People’s Army Newspaper, No. 8 Ly Nam De, Hang Ma, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi. Email: [email protected], [email protected]. Phone: 0243.8456735.

MAI THANH (written)

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