Health
Thailand’s Department of Disease Control Urges Public to Undergo Hepatitis Screening
BANGKOK – Thailand’s Department of Disease Control (DDC) has invited people to undergo hepatitis B and C screening for free at 83 public hospitals across Thailand until August 3rd.
Senior expert in preventive medicine at the DDC, Dr. Sombat Thanphasertsuk, and the President of the Thai Association for the Study of the Liver, Assoc. Prof. Wattana Sukeepaisarnjaroen, revealed in a press conference that a proper hepatitis treatment can prevent liver cancer.
In Thailand hepatitis B and C affect 3 million and 700,000 people respectively. To raise hepatitis awareness, people have been urged to undergo medical screening because early detection can help save their lives.
Assoc. Prof. Wattana believes up to 1 million Thais, who are suffering from hepatitis B and C, have not sought a medical treatment. The majority of hepatitis patients are in the North East of Thailand where one in every ten people has the disease. With proper treatment, hepatitis and even stage 1 and 2 liver cancer can be cured.