Hear’s a breakdown of the provided text, focusing on the key points about hepatitis B and C, and the perspective from Burela hospital:
Hepatitis B:
vaccine Availability: Spain has had the hepatitis B vaccine for over 30 years.
Initially administered to risk groups.
Recommended for adolescents and newborns since 1992.
Administered to newborns or young infants in all autonomous communities by 2002.
Vaccination Rates: Spain boasts “over 97%” vaccination rates for hepatitis B, which are described as the highest in the world (global average is 45%). This is considered a “Rotundo success.”
Current Cases: the remaining cases in Spain are primarily “imported” from individuals from countries where the vaccine is not administered, especially from Africa.
Management of Imported Cases:
These individuals cannot be vaccinated as they are already infected.
Effective treatments are available.
The priority is to locate them to prevent community transmission. Burela’s Situation: Burela is a multicultural town with a “relatively high” incidence of hepatitis B among its emigrant population, but the problem is “controlled.”
Hepatitis C:
Key Difference: Hepatitis C, first identified in 1989, is distinct because there is no vaccine for it.
Disease Progression:
90% of infected patients are asymptomatic.
Without treatment, the disease becomes chronic, leading to cirrhosis and liver cancer.
Treatment Advancements:
A significant turning point occurred in 2011 with the introduction of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs).
these treatments, lasting 8-12 weeks, achieve 98% healing rates.
Galicia‘s Progress:
Since 2015, Galicia has had access to DAAs that cure patients in 2-3 months.
Screening Initiatives in Galicia:
as 2023,people born between 1954 and 1983 are offered an additional test for hepatitis C when they visit primary care for analytics.
screening is also programmed during first-quarter pregnancy controls.
The at-risk population is offered screening thru the Mobile HIV prevention unit.
reception and Results of Screening:
The initiative has been “very well received,” with no one refusing the test.
Currently, only 3-5 positive cases are detected per year.
These cases are caught in early stages, treated, and cured.
Goal of Screening: The aspiring goal is the eradication of hepatitis C.
The WHO aims for eradication by 2030.
Spain hopes to achieve it sooner, though eradications are challenging.
Smallpox is cited as an exmaple of eradication, which took a century after vaccination began.
* Egypt as an example: Egypt, once having the highest global prevalence of hepatitis C, conducted an ambitious WHO eradication campaign (2014-2020) where 50 million people were examined and over 4 million treated, achieving success.
Overall perspective from Burela Hospital (Dr. Carreira):
The hospital shares the WHO’s concerns but highlights the different contexts between developed and developing countries. They emphasize Spain’s success in hepatitis B vaccination and the significant progress made in treating hepatitis C with new antivirals and proactive screening. The ultimate goal is the eradication of hepatitis C, with Spain aiming to achieve this even before the WHO’s 2030 target.
