Number of people with chronic hepatitis, hepatic cirrhosis and primary hepatic cancer is increasing

The number of people suffering from chronic hepatitis, hepatic cirrhosis and primary hepatic cancer reached over 61,000. According to the Ministry of Health, the incidence of such diseases rose from 33,600 cases in 1989 to 61,020 in 2005. According to the Ministry, the number of cases of viral hepatitis B, C and D is decreasing. As many as 1,102 cases of viral hepatitis B were reported in 1997 (25.5 cases per 1,000 people), as opposed to 402 cases in 2005 (9.5 cases per 1,000 people). The morbidity through viral hepatitis C fell from 266 cases in 1997 to 127 cases in 2005. The incidence of viral hepatitis D decreased from 82 to 31 cases. The economic impact of these diseases in 1998-2005 (treatment expenses and the economic damage caused to the state budget by being absent from work) added up to 266.5 mln lei. The Government has recently approved the National Programme on Combating Viral Hepatitis B, C and D for 2007-2011, which envisions the early identification of the sick people, their treatment in hospital, provision of the specialized wards with modern equipment for diagnosing and monitoring the treatment, informing of the population about the prophylaxis of viral hepatitis etc.