House Deputy Majority Leader and former Health Secretary Janette Garin has stressed the need for children to have three vaccine doses against hepatitis B to prevent a liver cancer outbreak in 2042.
“Dahil kapag nahawa ng hepatitis B at hindi bakunado, approximately 30 percent can progress to hepatocellular carcinoma, a deadly type of liver cancer,” Garin said.
“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,” the Iloilo First District Representative added.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Hepatitis B is a serious disease caused by a virus that attacks the liver. Its vaccine, available for all age groups, is recommended for all infants, children, or adolescents younger than 19 years of age who have not been vaccinated.
The World Health Organization (WHO) earlier expressed alarm over the number of deaths related to hepatitis, recording an average of 3,500 daily in 2022. The Philippines is among the countries that account for two-thirds of the global illness burden from hepatitis B and C, according to WHO’s 2024 Global Hepatitis Report.
“We have to act now. Huwag na nating hayaang magkaroon pa ulit tayo ng outbreak lalung-lalo na sa mga vaccine-preventable disease,” Garin said.