Study shows 80,000 die from hepatitis annualy

JAKARTA (JP): An estimated 40,000 to 80,000 Indonesians die each year due to Hepatitis, a recent study claimed.

It is believed that there are some 12 million people infected with the virus, of which seven million suffer from Hepatitis B and five million Hepatitis C.

The study, conducted by Suwandhi Widjaja, was revealed here during the commencement of his professorship at Atmajaya Catholic University's school of medicine.

Suwandhi expressed particular concern since "the infectious disease mostly hit people during their productive years between 30 to 55 years of age."

His study was conducted at Kali Anyar district in West Jakarta, which was chosen because, he said, all categories of ages and social-economic status needed for the sampling were represented.

Chronic Hepatitis B can lead to other serious diseases such as liver cancer and cirrhosis.

The study also found that there was a higher prevalence of youths between 16 and 20-years-old contracting the disease compared to younger children.

"The Hepatitis B and the C virus can be transmitted through sexual intercourse since most of them start to have sex around that age," said Suwandhi who earned his doctorate degree from Fakulteit Geneeskunde Katolieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium for his study on the Epidemiology of Hepatitis B and C Virus Infection in Urban Areas in Jakarta.

There are a number of ways the virus can spread, among them through prenatal infections, the sharing of needles and dialysis.

Suwandhi further noted that children under five-years-old are also prone to being infected by adults.

"The virus can also be spread through horizontal transmission like family contacts through using the same cutlery or sharing toothbrushes and nail clippers or shavers," he said.

One case which Suwandhi discovered in his study was several children living in an orphanage becoming infected as the attendants had the habit of "feeding the children with one spoon".

"The infected fluid can move from one mouth to the other," he said.

Suwandhi stressed that to prevent a further escalation hepatitis vaccinations must be done from infancy.

"It can be given at the same time a baby receives their basic vaccination program. Therefore it will be easier and more economical," he said.

On a global scale, there are no less than two billion people exposed to Hepatitis B and 170 million others with Hepatitis C worldwide, he added.

Ali Sulaiman, dean of the University of Indonesia's school of medicine, stressed that those infected with Hepatitis B should not despair as there is medication which can treat it.

Ali also called on doctors not to be too hasty in their prognosis of patients with Hepatitis B since in the case of adults only about 5 percent of those infected with the virus will develop chronic illness.

"Only the chronic patients need treatment ... Doctors must give proper guidance to Hepatitis B carriers, especially those who are at a young and productive age. Do not scare people and end their hope to live," he said. (edt)