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10/05/2005
BMA calls for hepatitis B vaccine for children
All children in the UK should be immunised against the hepatitis B (HBV) virus, the British Medical Association (BMA) has said.
HBV, which can lead to cirrhosis of the liver, cancer and death, kills two people every minute and there are 350 million carriers of the virus worldwide, the BMA said.
Transmission of the virus is also on the increase in the UK – in England and Wales HBV notifications increased from 489 in 1992 to 1151 in 2003, an increase of 135%.
The BMA said that HBV is 50 to 100 times more infectious than the AIDS virus and is transmitted via contact with the blood or body fluids of an infected person. It can be passed from mother to child during childbirth, from child to child through open wounds, saliva as a result of biting and shared toys, as well as through the use of sharing items such as toothbrushes and razors.
HBV is difficult to treat in people who are already infected, and the BMA says that the most effective method to prevent HBV infection is through vaccination.
Currently in the UK, only those most at risk of HBV infections, such as babies born to mothers infected with the virus are vaccinated. The UK is one of only a few countries that does not routinely immunise babies against HBV. In 1997, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended that all children should be immunised against HBV.
Dr Sam Everington, Deputy Chairman of the BMA and an East London-based GP said: “It makes sense to immunise all children against hepatitis B. The vaccine is extremely safe and millions of babies around the world have been immunised and protected against a major cause of cancer.”
He added: “Hepatitis B related illness costs the NHS millions of pounds every year and causes untold suffering to patients. An immunisation programme will not only save lives but be more cost effective than treating liver disease and cancer caused by Hepatitis B.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Health stressed that Britain has one of the lowest rates of chronic hepatitis B infections in the world.
(KMcA)
HBV, which can lead to cirrhosis of the liver, cancer and death, kills two people every minute and there are 350 million carriers of the virus worldwide, the BMA said.
Transmission of the virus is also on the increase in the UK – in England and Wales HBV notifications increased from 489 in 1992 to 1151 in 2003, an increase of 135%.
The BMA said that HBV is 50 to 100 times more infectious than the AIDS virus and is transmitted via contact with the blood or body fluids of an infected person. It can be passed from mother to child during childbirth, from child to child through open wounds, saliva as a result of biting and shared toys, as well as through the use of sharing items such as toothbrushes and razors.
HBV is difficult to treat in people who are already infected, and the BMA says that the most effective method to prevent HBV infection is through vaccination.
Currently in the UK, only those most at risk of HBV infections, such as babies born to mothers infected with the virus are vaccinated. The UK is one of only a few countries that does not routinely immunise babies against HBV. In 1997, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended that all children should be immunised against HBV.
Dr Sam Everington, Deputy Chairman of the BMA and an East London-based GP said: “It makes sense to immunise all children against hepatitis B. The vaccine is extremely safe and millions of babies around the world have been immunised and protected against a major cause of cancer.”
He added: “Hepatitis B related illness costs the NHS millions of pounds every year and causes untold suffering to patients. An immunisation programme will not only save lives but be more cost effective than treating liver disease and cancer caused by Hepatitis B.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Health stressed that Britain has one of the lowest rates of chronic hepatitis B infections in the world.
(KMcA)
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