A recent report delivered by the Vietnam Liver and Gall Association states that five out of ten people over the age of 40 suffered from fatty liver disease.
According to the World Health Organization in Vietnam, Hepatitis B infection is present in 10 to 20 percent of the general population and is the cause of more than 80 percent of liver diseases and cancer cases in the country.
Hepatitis C is also a growing concern in Vietnam, especially so as no vaccine is yet available to fight this highly contagious virus. People who inject drugs have especially high prevalence of hepatitis C infection, with up to 98.5 percent of them infected with the virus in Vietnam.
A combination of medication such as Interferon and Ribavirin drugs works as a powerful antiviral treatment against Hepatitis C, but these drugs are far too expensive and not easily available in Vietnam.
However, Vietnam has recently produced a low-cost drug; Peginterferon Alfa 2A, which is hoped will benefit Hepatitis C patients.
