HCM CITY — A free screening for hepatitis B and C for nearly 2,000 people, half of them, disadvantaged, will be organised in HCM City on July 28.

Gan Khỏe-Sống Vui (Healthy Liver- Live) Day is part of a programme called “Working Together to Eliminate Hepatitis B and C in Việt Nam” , held by the Việt Nam Viral Hepatitis Alliance, the Community Health Research Development Institute and the HCM City Open University.

The event will be held to mark World Hepatitis Day, July 28.

The screening will be held at the Independence Palace in District 1.

The test results will be handed over in three to four hours.

While waiting for the results, people can listen to health experts speaking about ways to prevent “hepatitis epidemics and the calamity of liver cancer” and mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B during pregnancy.

The experts will also tell them about healthy lifestyles and diets for a healthy liver.

People who test positive for hepatitis will get vouchers for further testing while the rest will receive vouchers for hepatitis B vaccines.

Registration for the free tests can be done at bit.ly/GKSV2018 and bit.ly/SNVG2018.

Việt Nam Viral Hepatitis Alliance is an NGO that undertakes high-impact public health initiatives to deal decisively with hepatitis B and C.

The HCM-based Community Health Research Development Institute belongs to the Việt Nam Union of Science and Technology Associations and researches community health and trains health officials.

Dr Phan Thanh Hải, head of the institute, said: “The [campaign] is the first step in helping keep people’s liver healthy and prevent deadly diseases.”

Dr Phạm Ngọc Đoan Trang of the Việt Nam Viral Hepatitis Alliance said that many people in the country do not know their hepatitis status.

She cited World Health Organisation’s statistics released last year showing Việt Nam had 8 million people with hepatitis B and one million with hepatitis C.

The two diseases are a leading cause of liver cancer in Việt Nam, she added. — VNS