Hepatitis B epidemic in C. Java

Hepatitis B epidemic in C. Java

SEMARANG, Central Java: Hepatitis B, which causes inflammation
of the liver, has reached epidemic proportions in the Central
Java capital of Semarang, with between 5 percent and 10 percent
of its four million population suffering from the disease, a
doctor says.

Dr. Hirlan of the Dr. Kariadi Hospital in Semarang said that
the public's reluctance to participate in vaccination programs
had contributed to the large number of infections.

Dr. Hirlan didn't reveal where he obtained the figures from,
but said that most of those infected were male.

Hepatitis B is a sometimes fatal disease and very common among
children, he said.

"At least one million infants die every year because of a
widespread hepatitis B outbreak throughout the world," he said.

Hepatitis B is caused by a virus and is therefore contagious.
(08)