Every year hepatitis kills far more people than Covid-19

Santo Domingo.- Hepatitis, especially B and C, is the main cause of death from hepatitis, as every year 325 million people in the world are diagnosed with the disease and 10 percent of them die.

This was stated by Dr. Fabiolina Sánchez, a gastroenterologist at Cedimat’s service, during a talk organized by ARS Palic and that health center.

The specialist said that viral hepatitis is a global public health problem and that each year the infection causes far more deaths than the Covid-19 pandemic.

In her talk “Hepatitis: a necessary conversation,” she added that emphasis should be placed on preventing the disease, but also paying attention when diagnosing infections so that patients do not complicate themselves.

Sánchez said 42 percent of children at birth receive the hepatitis B virus vaccine, but more than 50 percent do not.

She assured that this type of hepatitis is contracted through the intake of food contaminated by fecal matter.

She explained that in the case of hepatitis A it is an endemic condition that does not require further care, since the patient generates antibodies.

It causes general discomfort, fatigue, bilirubin rises, yellow skin, and other symptoms.

The B can occur both chronically and acutely. “In the acute of every 10 people, seven will be cured, the rest will suffer from the infection for life,” she warned.

It causes cirrhosis and cancer, it is the most important cause of liver cancer and nine out of ten people with the virus do not know it, Sánchez assured.

Type C has a higher incidence, normally does not give symptoms, according to details of its exposure published by the portal  www.resumendesalud.net , specialized in the dissemination of medical and pharmaceutical information.

The specialist called the ARS to support the prevention of hepatitis C, which when complicated can cause cirrhosis.