YANGON, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar health authorities have voiced commitment to eliminating hepatitis, saying that they will continue to collaborate with the World Hepatitis Alliance on prevention and treatment of the disease, according to the Ministry of Health and Sports on Monday.
Commemorating the World Hepatitis Day 2019 in Yangon on Sunday, Minister of Health and Sports Myint Htwe vowed to take action in line with this year's motto "Invest in Eliminating Hepatitis."
Citing a survey by the Department of Public Health, the Department of Medical Research and Myanmar Liver Foundation in 2015, Myint Htwe said 6.5 percent of Myanmar's population had hepatitis B, 2.7 percent had hepatitis C, pointing out that one in 10 people with the medical condition was unaware of having it and thus failed to receive medical attention in time.
The ministry administers free vaccination for hepatitis B for new borns and infants ranging from two to six months old, he said.
With the opening of treatment centers for hepatitis C in Yangon, Mandalay and Nay Pyi Taw in 2017 and then in Myitgyina and Mawlamyine in 2018, 5,000 patients with hepatitis B had been treated as of May 2019, he said.
New more treatment centers will be opened in the next two months, he added.
The minister called for active participation to ensure that the virus that causes hepatitis is vanquished and removed as a threat to public health by 2030.
