Shanghai widely promoting services for hepatitis carriers

Shanghai is widely promoting community-based management for chronic hepatitis patients, officials from the Shanghai Center for Disease Control and Prevention said.

The city is the first in the nation to give chronic hepatitis patients services including health check-ups, disease monitoring, patient transfer, vaccination, consultation and advice on avoiding infection in the community.

So far, 62 communities across the city offer such services, the local health authority announced along with the arrival of World Hepatitis Day on Saturday.

Around 4,000 people die of liver cancer every day around the world, which sees a yearly death toll of 1.4 million. Viral hepatitis is a significant cause of liver cancer.

With the promotion of hepatitis B vaccination and blocking mother-to-infant infections, viral hepatitis carriers in China dropped from 120 million 20 years ago to 80 million currently. But there are still many challenges. 

Chronic hepatitis patients still shoulder a serious burden, nearly 85 percent of whom haven’t received timely and effective treatment. 

Shanghai has been promoting vaccination of hepatitis B and enhancing health education and management for years. Rates of acute hepatitis cases have dropped to a historical low.

However, the risk of hepatitis spreading still exists and public awareness still requires improvement. 

Patient identification, regular treatment and community-based management must be further perfected for better hepatitis prevention and control, officials added.