Comments - Latest Popular Stories, Instablogs Community by Brunty

Sharmila Chakravorty

Sharmila Chakravorty — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Ew...thats a reallly sorry picture!

Jason

Jason — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

That’s a picture of a hepatitis sufferer, sadly the highest rate of infection is in young children, they are infected after birth.

HBV is a terrible disease that can be controlled to an extent if treated properly and also be prevented from being passed on to others.

Grace Calderon

Grace Calderon — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

I wonder how pharmaceutical giants such as Pfizer and GlaxoSmithkline are doing in Thailand. In some countries where they are doing well, they give back to the people by way of mounting huge medical campaigns. These are really tax shelters for them since these campaigns fall under their corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Jason

Jason — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Big companies and tax shelters are notorious for these illusions of giving something back to the consumer who are making them and share holders richer and fatter.

For so many 500,000 Baht is a figure that just could never be obtained to treat HBV. I will research on what these companies are doing to help the Thai people who contribute millions or billions of Baht to them each year.

Thanks for commenting

Madhuri Katti

Madhuri Katti — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Health never gets top priority in Asian countries...very unfortunate...

Jason

Jason — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

It is sad, there never seems to be enough being done for the people who really need it.

Sharmila Chakravorty

Sharmila Chakravorty — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Yeah...i guess the population is too huge for health to get priority.

Jason

Jason — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Well, 60 million people and only 3 million infected, 1 in 20 people so no real worry :(

Governments fighting over childish things while people suffer in so many ways, sickening.

Ding

Ding — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

awareness is the only handy tool that can prevent one from infecting and the diseases from spreading. However Govt. remaining aloof from taking any measures against the menace is condemnable. ppl are lacking facilities and in the lack of the awareness they are paying with their lives.

Jason

Jason — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Yes, the goverments of Asia need to do more, 75 % of 350 million HBV suffers are in Asia-Pacific. That’s not good odds.

Por

Por — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

A stitch at time saves nine. Prevention is better than cure. How many of them should i cite, but the here in Thailand seems ignorant of all these. don’t know know what should be done to make them remember and feel that. It needs a rampant measure to stem the infection..otherwise the nation will pay the burnt of not doing anything at time...

Jason

Jason — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

If more people were aware of HBV here in Thailand then preventiona nd infection rates could be curbed.

People having casual and unsafe sex might think twice, more people may be screened for the virus.

If people understood the nature of HBV then more people may be saved from contracting or passing on the virus.

Elias

Elias — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Hepatitis B is a highly contagious disease that can be communicated even through sharing of same toilets, towels and even handshakes. It is much deadlier than AIDS as there is no known cure, no real statistics and awareness. In India Hepatitis vaccines are given away free of cost and there is a big awareness campaign going on continuously. I think the same can be adopted in Thailand.

Jason

Jason — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

This is why awarness campaign need to be out there in all types of media here in Thailand.

So many do not understand the nature of the virus and how it is contracted and passed on.

I was vaccinated when I was a lifegaurd in Australia, it was compulsory and I am so thankful now. I didn’t know anything about HBV back then.

Yes, free vaccination programmes like this could be a big saviour for many future sufferers, as you said ”there isn’t a cure”

DRabahAfshan

DRabahAfshan — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

@Grace,

This is not about the big pharmaceutical companies. What is the government doing to stop the spread of Hepatitis B? The pharma companies would not do anything unless the government steps in big time. I am aware that a big HIV/AIDS campaign is in place in Thailand. Hepatitis spread just the way HIV does and in even more ways. The disease is very painful and cripples the victim.

Jason

Jason — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Yes, HIV campaigns are run spasmodically here in Thailand. But I have never seen a HBV campaign and the same fate awaits a HIV or HBV sufferer, a painful and suffering death in the end.

Pharaceutical companies are onlt worried about their bottom line and their investors, sure they want their drugs to work as people will use them then.

Chanukya

Chanukya — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

I agree with Madhuri Katti that health always takes the back seat in Asian countries with the exception of perhaps Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and to some extent Malaysia. Thailand can do so much with is booming economy. It becomes all the more important for Thailand government to take some measures because a huge part of its tourists go there for sex tourism.

Jason

Jason — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Yes, people who travel here to Thailand as sex tourists really need to be aware of HBV and how easily it can be spread.

The government needs to use some of the money they are currently reaping and make awareness campaigns to inform locals and tourists alike.

Jose

Jose — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Hepatitis B is a silent killer and is a bigger threat than HIV/AIDS. We tend to forget this because the focus is on HIV/AIDS that seems to be a more ‘glamorous’ disease.

I agree in principle that it is mainly the job of the government to create awareness and then rope in the big pharmaceutical companies to do their part by subsidizing the drugs to treat it.

Jason

Jason — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Yes. HBV is less known compared to HIV. The big Pharma groups need to be influenced into doing more than just reaping huge profits.

Thomas

Thomas — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

The image is horrific. An acute case of lever cirrhosis. This guy must be dead by now and a painful one at that. This is what happens when awareness could have prevented this from happening. Hepatitis B has vaccines and can be avoided. This is not a problem peculiar to Thailand but all third world countries.

Jason

Jason — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0000

The image is of a woman, not a man. I think teh lady would be deceased or nothing like this picture now.

Yes, Third World or now known as ”Developing Countries” have 75% of 350 million HBV sufferers.

Shanju

Shanju — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

i have a few suggestions for the thai government and the thai people.

the government must ask people to take voluntarily to take tests for hepatitis b and also c. then they must launch a nationwide campaign and distribute vaccines free of cost and the pharmaceutical companies making billions by selling their drugs to chip in with the costs, at least part of it. all those who are diagnosed with the diseas must be immediately treated.

all it needs is proper government resolve. healthcare is something that the government cannot wish away just like that.

Jason

Jason — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0000

This would be a great idea but would the Thai people take the tests. A free vaccination programme would make people consider being vaccinated.

The Thai government need to lobby the big Pharma companies for some dollars and use them wisely.