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. (Because when infected with Hepatitis B and not vaccinated, approximately 30 percent can progress to Hepatocellular Carcinoma, a deadly type of Liver Cancer)
About 30 percent of Hepatitis B infection without inoculation can potentially lead to , approximately to hepatocellular carcinoma, a deadly type of liver cancer, Garin said.
She warned that by 2042 to 2045, the children afflicted with Hepatitis B and not vaccinated could possibly suffer liver cancer or hepoatocellular carcinoma.
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 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 (Let us not wait for another outbreak, especially for vaccine-preventable diseases),” Garin said.