Free anonymous rapid tests slated for July 25
The Health Bureau (SSM) said during a press conference yesterday that about 23,000 patients with chronic hepatitis B are currently under medical monitoring and management.
The press conference about the prevention and treatment of hepatitis was held at the bureau’s Public Health Emergency Personnel Residence Hall on Guia Hill yesterday.
SSM Tap Seac Health Centre Director Ng Sio Fan pointed out that starting in February of last year Health Centres’ internal system automatically added the HBsAg test* for individuals aged 50 or above who lacked a testing record.
Since last month, this initiative has expanded to include individuals aged 40 and above who have never undergone the test. As of the end of last year, about 15,000 residents participated in the screening scheme.
SSM Centre for Disease Control and Prevention senior official Chang Fong Nei noted that according to the data from the 2016 Macao Health Survey and the Statistics and Census Bureau’s 2016 Mid-term Population Census, the HBsAg positivity rate among local residents aged 18 or above was 7.6 percent, identifying Macau as a moderate prevalence region, with an estimated 34,000 infected local residents in the community. The age structure of Hepatitis B infections in Macau is predominantly composed of individuals over the age of 50, accounting for about 70 percent of all positive cases, she said.
The latest once-in-a-decade Macao Health Survey has been conducted this year, and preliminary results are expected to be announced by the end of the year.
Chang pointed out that the positivity rate among children under the age of 5 was 0.03 percent in Macau last year, meeting the World Health Organisation (WHO) international standard of a paediatric positivity rate of less or equal 0.1 percent.
Chang said that vaccination has yielded significant epidemic prevention results since Macau introduced the Hepatitis B vaccine in the 1980s and incorporated it into the routine vaccination programme in the early 1990s. Consequently, the Hepatitis B positivity rate among residents born in the 1990s has dropped to about 2 percent.
Public awareness & free screening campaigns
Meanwhile, the bureau, in collaboration with local community associations, will jointly host “Healthy Community Flash Mob Stations” on Saturday from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. across the peninsula, Taipa and Coloane, featuring five designated activity routes, with the aim of correcting knowledge regarding the prevention and treatment of Hepatitis B through interactive games, and participants who complete the games can receive “small gifts”, Chang added.
Additionally, the “2026 World Hepatitis Day” Theme Event slated for July 25, from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., at the public Activities Centre on Rotunda de Carlos da Maia, colloquially known as “Three Lamps” (三盞燈), will feature interactive booths and anonymous rapid Hepatitis B surface antigen testing services free of charge, aiming to assist residents in checking their infection status and to elevate public focus on Hepatitis B prevention and control.
World Hepatitis Day, however, takes place annually on July 28.
* An HBsAg test (Hepatitis B surface Antigen test) is a blood test used to determine if a person is currently infected with the Hepatitis B virus (HBV). The test looks for Hepatitis B surface antigens, which are proteins present on the outer surface of the virus. It is the primary and most common screening tool for Hepatitis B. – Gemini
Health Bureau (SSM) Tap Seac Health Centre Director Ng Sio Fan (centre), SSM Centre for Disease Control and Prevention senior official Chang Fong Nei (right) and Sum Ip Pio from the public Conde de S. Januário Hospital Centre (CHCSJ) address the press conference about the prevention and treatment of hepatitis at the bureau’s Public Health Emergency Personnel Residence Hall on Guia Hill yesterday. – Photo: Ida Cheong
