Re: NOT the one from feces in food

uesday, November 22, 2005

Hepatitis B a growing scourge, says doctor
Many people unaware they have the virus linked to liver cancer

PATSY MOY in San Francisco


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Hong Kong may see an increase in severe liver diseases because new
mainland migrants unwittingly carrying the hepatitis B virus fail to
seek treatment, doctors warn.

They also point out that many people remain ignorant about hepatitis B,
and there is an urgent need to improve public education to promote
early screening and vaccination.

These concerns were raised by George Lau Ka-kit, hepatology professor
at the University of Hong Kong, who tested 500 Cheung Chau residents
last week, with results showing that about 10 per cent carried
hepatitis B.

But as many as 80 per cent of the carriers were not aware that they had
the disease until they had the blood test.

Dr Lau, who is also a trustee of the Cheng Si Yuan
(China-International) Hepatitis Research Foundation, said the figures
were comparable with other districts in Hong Kong. Hepatitis B has been
identified as a key cause of liver cancer because at least 80 per cent
of cases are linked to the virus. About 1,400 people die of liver
cancer every year in Hong Kong.

"Hong Kong is such an advanced city that people are generally well
educated and informed. But we still have 80 per cent of people who are
not aware of their own health problems," Dr Lau said.

"We believe that no more than 1 per cent of hepatitis B carriers in the
mainland know they are carrying the disease, so many patients don't
seek treatment until the late stages.

"One of our major concerns is that some of the children or young people
from the mainland who settle in Hong Kong for family reunion may carry
the virus unknowingly," said Dr Lau, who was in San Francisco to attend
the 56th annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of
Liver Diseases.

"They may develop liver cancer when they grow older, probably in their
middle-age ... that means we may see more liver patients in Hong Kong
in the future."

Samuel So, director of the Asian Liver Centre at Stanford University,
also described the mainland as a "major country for both hepatitis B
and liver cancer" patients.

He said that of 600,000 people who died of liver cancer every year
worldwide, 54 per cent were from the mainland.

"In the US, of the 40,000 new migrants found with hepatitis B every
year, at least a half are Asians, and a significant portion of them are
from the mainland. I worry that Hong Kong shares the same problem," he
said.

"People should have blood tests for hepatitis B to identify whether
they are carriers. People who are not infected should receive
vaccinations and those who carry the virus should seek early
treatment."

Dr So warned that most people, regardless of their nationalities, were
ignorant about hepatitis.

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