Vaccines protect babies from deadly hepatitis

Vaccines protect babies from deadly hepatitis

JAKARTA (JP): It's far better to prevent than to cure, so
parents check your timetable to see when your babies are due to
be vaccinated against the Hepatitis B virus.

The younger the children are when infected with the endemic
virus, the bigger their chances of suffering from chronic
hepatitis in adulthood, pediatricians revealed on Saturday.

"Babies infected with the virus during their first year will
have a 90 percent chance of suffering from hepatitis, while the
chances of children above five years old when infected with the
virus, of developing the disease in adulthood is only between 10
percent and 50 percent," Sri Kusumo Amdani from the Harapan Kita
Hospital, West Jakarta, said.

Speaking in a seminar, held by British-based pharmaceutical
company GlaxoSmithKline, on how to prevent children from
contracting infectious maladies, Amdani explained that Hepatitis
B did not show any immediate symptoms, but could slowly kill the
sufferer in 20 to 30 years.

Only a small number of patients show its flu-like symptoms,
such as a yellowish tinge in the eyes and skin, weakness, loss of
appetite and nausea.

Hepatitis is the inflammation of the liver triggered by the
various hepatitis virus from A to H.

The Hepatitis B and C are the most fatal although they can be
cured. The virus resides in the blood, therefore they can easily
be spread to other people through shared personal items which may
contain traces of blood like combs, razor blades, syringes as
well as through sexual intercourse and blood transfusions.

Amdani said babies could catch the virus from their infected
mothers during childbirth. "But the chances of this happening are
only around five percent to six percent."

"The Hepatitis B virus is responsible for more than 80 percent
of liver cancer and cirrhosis in the world, while liver cancer is
the world's second most deadly disease after lung cancer. Getting
your babies vaccinated is the only way to protect them against
the virus," she told the seminar.

However, she added, the vaccine would only lst for 12 years.
After that, we should test to see if our bodies have established
its own antibodies.

Her colleague Budi Purnomo explained that Indonesia, along
with other developing countries in the Asia-Pacific region, was
still vulnerable to the endemic virus. "This is because of the
region's dense population and the people's low awareness of the
importance of a healthy environment."

A recent study revealed that at least 11.6 million Indonesians
had been exposed to hepatitis, the third highest in the region
after China and India.

Budi said vaccination against various infectious diseases had
helped reduce infant mortality from 145 out of 1,000 childbirths
in 1967 to only 52 out of 1,000 childbirths in 1997. "The number
is still decreasing."

"Seven out of 10 fatal diseases that children are vulnerable
to are infectious, so it is important they are vaccinated during
infancy," he told a media briefing after the seminar.

There are various vaccinations a baby should be given besides
against Hepatitis B. These include vaccinations against the seven
fatal diseases, namely tuberculosis, diphtheria, tetanus,
pertussis (better known as whooping cough), polio and measles.

Many vaccines are combined to allow babies to take them in one
injection.

"This new method helps reduce the trauma of taking many
vaccinations and subsequently reduces the number of babies
dropping out of the program," GlaxoSmithKline product manager
Alfi Fatmayani remarked. (bby)