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)