SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1983
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DR LEE SAID ALTHOUGH THE DEVELOPMENT OF HEPATITIS B VACCINE REPRESENTED A SIGNIFICANT BREAKTHROUGH IN THE CONTROL OF HEPATITIS B INFECTION AFTER MANY YEARS OF HARD WORK AND RESEARCH, A GREAT DEAL OF WORK REMAINED TO BE DONE IN THE FIELD OF RESEARCH INTO THE DISEASE.
+FOR EXAMPLE, IN VIEW OF THE LARGE AMOUNT OF PUBLICITY IN THE MEDIA GIVEN TO THE HIGHLY EMOTIONAL AND SPECULATIVE ISSUE OF ACQUIRED IMMUNE DEFICIENCY SYNDROME (AIDS), PARTICULAR EMPHAS IS HAS BEEN MADE OF THE EVIDENCE ATTESTING TO THE SAFETY OF THE VACCINES IN THIS RESPECT.
+WHILE HEPATITIS B VACCINES HAVE BEEN PROVEN EFFECTIVE IN MANY COUNTRIES, THE AMOUNT OF RESOURCES WHICH HAVE BEEN INVESTED IN ENSURING SAFE VACCINES DERIVED FROM HUMAN PLASMA HAS MEANT THAT THE COST OF THESE VACCINES ARE CURRENTLY TOO EXPENSIVE FOR UNIVERSAL VACCINATION, HE SAID.
CONSEQUENTLY SOUND IMMUNISATION STRATEGIES HAD TO BE
FORMULATED, BASED ON LOCAL PATTERNS OF EPIDEMIOLOGY AND AVAILABILITY OF RESOURCES, HE POINTED OUT.
DR LEE THOUGHT THIS COULD BEST BE DONE BY NATIONAL HEALTH AUTHORITIES, THROUGH BODIES OF EXPERTS WHO WOULD ALSO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION OF VACCINATION PROGRAMMES.
THE DISCUSSIONS AND FREE EXCHANGE OF KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE IN THE TWO-DAY WORKSHOP HAD BEEN +MOST BENEFICIAL+ NOT ONLY TO INTERESTED WORKERS IN THIS SUBJECT IN GENERAL, BUT ALSO TO THE MEDICAL AND HEALTH DEPARTMENT IN PARTICULAR, OR LEE
DR SAID.
HE POINTED OUT THAT SINCE EARLY THIS YEAR, THE DEPARTMENT HAD LAUNCHED A HEPATITIS B VACCINATION PROGRAMME FOR HEALTH CARE WORKERS AT HIGH RISK AND HAD ALSO STARTED A PILOT SCHEME TO PROVIDE BOTH PASSIVE AND ACTIVE IMMUNISATION TO NEW-BORN CHILDREN OF HEPATITIS B CARRIER MOTHERS.
+THE KNOWLEDGE AND INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE GAINED WILL ASS IST COUNTRIES IN THE WESTERN PACIFIC REGION IN FORMULATING SOUND IMMUNISATION POLICIES TO ENSURE THAT VACCINATION IS SAFE, EFFICACIOUS AND COST-EFFECTIVE AS WELL AS IN DEVELOPING OTHER STRATEGIES TO DEAL WITH HEPATITIS B INFECTION, DR LEE SAID.
THE WORKSHOP, WHICH WAS DIVIDED INTO SEVEN SESSIONS, HEARD SPEAKERS GIVE DETAILS OF HEPATITIS B INFECTION IN AUSTRALIA, CHINA, JAPAN, THE PHILIPPINES, SINGAPORE AND THAILAND.
THE PROBLEM IN HONG KONG WAS OUTLINED BY A CONSULTANT AT QUEEN ELIZABETH HOSPITAL, DR E.K. YEOH.
THERE WERE ALTOGETHER 23 CONTRIBUTORS, OF WHOM SIX, INCLUDING DR LEE AND DR YEOH, WERE FROM HONG KONG.
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