Coinciding with World Hepatitis Day* on July 28, a raft of activities will be held from Monday to Wednesday next week, featuring interactive booth games and free rapid Hepatitis B virus (HBV) testing, aiming to raise residents’ awareness and concern about hepatitis B, the Health Bureau (SSM) said in a statement earlier this week.
The statement noted that the free test for detecting Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) will be available for residents, aged at least 18, unsure of their HBV infection status, although the testing quota is limited and will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis, with the aim of helping residents understand their HBV infection status.
The three-day event, themed “Eliminate Hepatitis Together”, will take place at cooked food centres across three municipal wet markets: the Patane Food Court on Monday, Iao Hon Venders Building on Tuesday, and S. Lourenço Market Food Centre on Wednesday.
According to the 2016 “Macau Health Survey,” the Hepatitis B virus infection rate among adult residents in Macau is 7.6 percent, representing about seven to eight out of every 100 adults infected.
The “Macau Health Survey” is conducted every 10 years by the Health Bureau (SSM), and the next “Macau Health Survey “ will be conducted next year, according to a SSM statement in March.
Currently, there is no cure for Hepatitis B, but antiviral drug treatment can effectively control the progression of the disease.
The statement pointed out that Chronic Hepatitis B virus carriers often have no obvious symptoms, but the virus in their bodies can continuously damage their liver, leading to chronic hepatitis. In the long term, this significantly increases the risk of serious complications such as liver cirrhosis and liver cancer.
Therefore, chronic HBV carriers need to maintain long-term self-health management, including regular check-ups, medical follow-ups, and adopting a healthy lifestyle, to prevent complications, the statement said.
The statement noted that in order to implement the overall goals and targets set out in the “Healthy Macao Blueprint,”** the government promotes the “Healthy Community” initiative, adding that through cross-departmental collaboration and mobilising community organisations, it continuously carries out diverse community health education activities, striving to enhance residents’ health literacy and promote their capacity for self-health management.
For more information about the activities, please visit the SSM bureau website www.ssm.gov.mo/hepday.
* World Hepatitis Day is an annual global observance held on July 28 to raise awareness about viral hepatitis, promote prevention, testing and treatment, and advocate for the elimination of this public health threat. -DeepSeek
**The Healthy Macao Blueprint is a comprehensive long-term strategic plan launched by the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) Government in July 2024, aiming to transform Macau into a “Healthy City” by 2030. – DeepSeek
This image provided by the Heath Bureau (SSM) on Monday shows its poster promoting next week’s “World Hepatitis Day” activities.
