SINGAPORE - Professor Lim Seng Gee, president of the Asian Pacific Association for
the Study of Liver Diseases and founding member of the Coalition to Eradicate
Viral Hepatitis in Asia Pacific, today called for more Singaporeans to go for hepatitis
B and C testing.
This is as about one in 35 adults
here in Singapore is a carrier of Hepatitis B and about 10,000 Singaporeans are
affected by Hepatitis C, The Straits Times reported.
Both viruses result in an
inflamed liver, and may lead to liver fibrosis and cirrhosis, organ failure and
even death. The viruses are also the leading cause of liver cancer - the fifth
most common cancer among men in Singapore.
However, few symptoms manifest
themselves until the later stages of the disease.
Despite the dangers, only one in
five to one in four Hepatitis B carriers go for treatment and regular follow
ups, said the head of the gastroenterology and hepatology department at the
National University Hospital (NUH).
While those aged 25 and below are
protected from Hepatitis B due to a nationwide vaccination programme
implemented in 1987, this still means 68 per cent of the population is still at
risk, he added.
YourHealth, AsiaOne
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