Hepatitis treatment centre opens

The Lao V-Med Centre for the treatment of hepatitis B and C opened in Vientiane on Monday, and will also treat people with HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections.
The centre is located at Setthathirat Hospital and is a collaboration between the Ministry of Health and China’s Open Society Technology Lao Company Limited (OTS).

The objective of the facility is to reduce the incidence of hepatitis B and C infections in Laos and prevent the spread of HIV.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Deputy Director General of the ministry’s Department of Communicable Diseases Control, Dr Sibounhom Archkhawongs, said not enough attention had been paid to the treatment and prevention of hepatitis B and C.
Although access to diagnostics, prognostic tools, and the drugs needed to treat these infections had improved in recent years, the overall lack of information and inadequate training of health personnel remained a major obstacle to successful treatment.
He said the new centre would also provide a platform for brainstorming and the exchange of ideas on ways to better manage viral hepatitis.
The centre will help to improve skills and awareness in relation to viral hepatitis so that more people better understand the challenges posed by this potentially fatal liver infection. It will be a specialised facility for the treatment of hepatitis B and C and the support of at-risk groups.
In 2019, about 350 million people around the world were recorded as being infected with a form of hepatitis, including 81 million people with hepatitis B in China and 90 million people in Vietnam.
OTS President Mr Tomas Cai said while congratulating those involved in the project that it was equally important to keep the facilities and equipment in good condition so that the centre could serve patients for many years to come.
The facility would also run publicity campaigns directed at young people, with a focus on adolescents and sex workers. They will be invited to participate in various activities to help them better understand HIV and AIDS, Mr Cai said.
Hepatitis B and C are viral infections that attack the liver. While they have similar symptoms, the most significant difference is that people may get hepatitis B from the bodily fluids of an infected person.
Hepatitis C usually only spreads through blood-to-blood contact. Neither hepatitis B nor C spreads through coughing, breast milk, or sharing food with or hugging an infected person. Many people who have hepatitis do not become aware of it until the infection has advanced.

By Phetphoxay Sengpaseuth
(Latest Update April 23, 2019)