Vax kids vs hepatitis B to avoid liver cancer outbreak, parents urged

FILE PHOTO: Parents are encouraged to have their children vaccinated against hepatitis B so the Philippines could avoid a possible liver cancer outbreak. Former health secretary and now Iloilo 1st District Rep. Janette Garin said in a statement Thursday, April 18, 2024, that individuals who are unvaccinated against hepatitis B are more likely to contract the disease which may lead to hepatocellular carcinoma or liver cancer. She added that a liver cancer outbreak may occur sometime around 2042 if parents continue to shun anti-hepatitis B vaccines for their children. INQUIRER FILES

MANILA, Philippines — After calling on parents to have their children vaccinated against pertussis, former health secretary and now Iloilo 1st District Rep. Janette Garin now asks them to have kids protected against hepatitis B.

She said having their children inoculated against hepatitis B could help avoid a possible liver cancer outbreak in the country.

Garin, who is a doctor, explained that individuals who are unvaccinated against hepatitis B are more likely to contract the disease which may lead to hepatocellular carcinoma or liver cancer. She added that a liver cancer outbreak may occur sometime around 2042 if parents continue to shun anti-hepatitis B vaccines for their children.

“Dahil kapag nahawa ng hepatitis B at hindi bakunado, approximately 30 percent can progress to hepatocellular carcinoma, a deadly type of liver cancer,” she said in a statement  Thursday.

(Because if someone contracts hepatitis B and he or she is not vaccinated against it, approximately 30 percent of these cases can progress to hepatocellular carcinoma, a deadly type of liver cancer.)

READ: Overcome ‘vaccine fear,’ Filipinos urged

According to Garin, there was a notable decrease in inoculations against hepatitis B even if they are readily available in government health centers and hospitals.

“Kasama doon sa bumagsak ay ang hepatitis B kasi kasama ‘yan sa mga bakuna na binibigay ng gobyerno. Ano ang consequence nito? Ang epekto nito ay doon sa mga batang hindi nabakunahan at nahawa ng hepatitis B. Pagdating ng 2042 to 2045 ay posibleng magkaroon ng maraming liver cancer or hepatocellular carcinoma sa Pilipinas dahil sa mga unvaccinated children against Hepa,” she added.

(Among those whose vaccine uptake decreased is Hepatitis B because that is part of the vaccines provided by the government. What is the consequence of this?  The effect is that there are unvaccinated children who have contracted hepatitis B. By 2042 to 2045 we could possibly have a lot of liver cancer cases in the Philippines due to unvaccinated children against Hepa.)

Garin’s reminder came a day after she encouraged parents to have their children vaccinated against pertussis and eventually free themselves from vaccine hesitancy.

READ: Parents urged to ditch vaccine hesitancy amid rising pertussis cases

Her call followed a report of the Department of Health (DOH) that it logged 1,477 cases of pertussis from January 1 to April 6, with 63 of the patients dying.

“Bakit sa buong mundo ang Pilipinas lang nagkaroon ng pertussis outbreak? At bakit ‘yung polio bumalik? Bakit noong mga nakaraang taon grabe ang mga namamatay sa measles. This is all because of vaccine hesitancy,” Garin said.

(Why did the Philippines have an outbreak of pertussis? And why did polio come back? Last year, many people also died due to measles. This is all because of vaccine hesitancy.)

According to Garin, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) categorizes hepatitis B as a serious disease and that the vaccine to fight the disease is available for all age groups.

“We have to act now. Huwag na nating hayaang magkaroon pa ulit tayo ng outbreak lalung-lalo na sa mga vaccine preventable disease,” she said.

(We have to act now. Let us not allow that we have another outbreak especially for vaccine-preventable diseases.)