Info campaigns fail to curb hepatitis B
JAKARTA (JP): Despite information campaigns against the hepatitis B virus by various organizations, many people are unaware about this fatal disease. Uninformed poor people remain in an unhealthy lifestyle and environment, allowing the virus to spread.
This was the latest news announced by Dr. Unggul Budihusodo, an internist with the Omni Medical Center Hospital at a recent seminar held by British-based pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline.
The hepatitis B virus is present in body fluids, such as semen, saliva and blood. Like other fatal diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, it can spread to other people through shared personal items like syringes, razor blades and toothbrushes, practicing unprotected sex or blood transfusions.
"But unlike intensive campaigns against HIV, the information campaigns against this virus have been a failure," said Unggul, who also works with Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital in Jakarta.
Data from the World Health Organization shows that there are 350 million people worldwide with hepatitis B. With a prevalence of 3 percent to 34 percent, Indonesia has currently some 10 million sufferers. In comparison, Indonesia has an estimated one million cases of HIV/AIDS.
Hepatitis is the inflammation of the liver, which is triggered by the hepatitis A, B and C viruses. Unlike the other types, hepatitis B does not show any immediate symptoms. Later, however, the patient will suffer flu-like symptoms, such as fatigue, weakness, headaches, jaundice, muscular pain and pain in the upper right part of the stomach area.
The alarming number of drug abuse cases, Unggul said, had contributed a significant increase in the number of young sufferers, due to the practice of sharing needles.
"Our research (at the University of Indonesia/RSCM) shows that 85 percent of these people (drug users) are infected with hepatitis C, while 15 percent contracted hepatitis B and about 15 percent to 20 percent of them are infected with HIV/AIDS," he added.
He pointed out that a combination of hepatitis B, C and the HIV viruses would speed up the formation of cirrhosis, or hardening of the liver, a condition found only in chronic hepatitis disease sufferers.
One way of treating the disease is with Interferon injections or an oral medication called Lamivudin, but Unggul also underlined the importance of preventive measures.
"Hepatitis B vaccinations at hospitals help develop antibodies in a person to protect them against the virus," he said.
Another speaker at the seminar, Udin Gunawan, the group product manager at GlaxoSmithKline, stressed the importance of having vaccinations since childhood.
"Ninety percent of the children with hepatitis B will enter adulthood with chronic hepatitis," he said.
Gunawan added that Interferon injections work by stimulating the body's immune system, while the company's oral drug Lamivudin, which used to be a part of the treatment for AIDS, works by hampering the hepatitis B virus from multiplying.
Unggul also said traditional herbal medicine containing temulawak (wild ginger) may help strengthen the organ but would not kill the virus.
Temulawak has long been known to have properties that are capable of soothing liver problems.
He explained that when taken in moderation, the herbal medicine posed no side effects.
"You can drink a glass of temulawak every day to strengthen your liver. Some people also say the drink improves their appetite and makes them feel better," he said.
Temulawak also comes in tablets. (lup)