House passes mandatory Hepatitis-B immunization of infants

Wednesday, 18 May 2011 09:40

To ensure overall public health and reduce infant mortality, the House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading a bill providing for mandatory Hepatitis-B vaccination of all infants within a reasonable period of time after birth.

House Bill 4393 seeks to protect newborn infants against Hepatitis B virus and other vaccine-preventable diseases. To be known as the "Mandatory Infant-Health Immunization Act of 2011," the measure requires all health care practitioners or health care workers who administer prenatal care to inform all pregnant mothers on the importance and beneficial effects of availing the basic immunization services.

According to Rep. Susan Yap (2nd District, Tarlac), one of the principal authors of the bill, public health is one of the primary concerns of governments given its direct relationship with human resource productivity and economic activity.

"It is incumbent upon them to implement preventive and rehabilitative measures in the face of major health risks, one of which takes the form of the Hepatitis-B virus," Yap said.

Yap said the complications associated with this disease are serious that can lead to lifelong infection, cirrhosis or scarring of the liver, liver cancer, liver failure and even death.

"While medication and procedures are available to counter the effects of Hepa-B, albeit at a very high cost, prevention remains to be the best and the cheapest alternative to ensure health safety," Yap stressed.

Rep. Joseph Emilio Abaya (1st District, Cavite), another author of the bill, said Hepatitis B virus infection is a significant health problem that concerns not only the country but also the rest of the world and immunization at birth is found to be the most effective and incidentally, the most cost-efficient means of preventing it.

"At present it is less expensive to immunize children against HBV infection rather than to cure adults for chronic liver disease, since the cost of vaccines has fallen dramatically since the early 1980s, now the vaccines can be bought for less than US$1 per dose in developing countries," Abaya said.

Abaya said by mandating the giving of routine Hepatitis B vaccination to all infants at birth to avoid the risk of acquiring the viral infection is the best protection that may be giRep. Augusto Boboy Syjuco (2nd District, Iloilo), another author of the bill, said it is the declared policy of the State to take a proactive role in the preventive health care of infants.

"The inaccessibility of health care services and the lack of proper education are few of the contributory factors why we continue to struggle in the fight for eliminating Hepatitis-B infection in our country. This life-threatening disease continues to haunt many Filipinos since we lack the proper immunization to protect us from acquiring the disease," Syjuco said.

Under the measure, the government will subsidize the expenses for said vaccination which shall be administered in a public health facility. This is intended to encourage parents to complete all the phases of Hepatitis B immunization for their children.

The bill mandates the Department of Health in consultation with the National Immunization Committee to promulgate the necessary implementing rules and regulations.

Co-authors of the measure include Reps. Mary Mitzi Cajayon (2nd District, Caloocan City), Alfredo Marañon III (2nd District, Negros Occidental), Josephine Veronique Lacson-Noel (Lone District, Malabon City), Bernadette Herrera-Dy (Party-list, Bagong Henerasyon), Tomas Apacible (1st District, Batangas), Rachel Marguerite Del Mar (1st District, Cebu city), Abigail Ferriol (Party-list, Kalinga), Thelma Almario (2nd District, Davao Oriental), Pangalian Balindong (2nd District, Lanao del Sur), Eufranio Eriguel ( 2nd District, La Union), Florencio Flores (2nd District, Bukidnon), Luzviminda Ilagan (Party-list, Gabriela), Monique Yasmin Lagdameo (1st District, Makati City), Sigfrido Tinga (2nd District, Taguig City) and Peter Unabia ( 1st District, Misamis Oriental).