EDITORIAL: The hepatitis nightmare

A bill aimed at providing comprehensive treatment and support for people suffering from viral hepatitis B or C through expanded government aid is due to be enacted into law during this Diet session.

A law enacted in January 2008 applied only to people who had contracted hepatitis C through tainted blood products. But the new proposed legislation is meant to bring relief to all hepatitis patients, irrespective of how they contracted the disease.

Hepatitis is hard to treat. It is usually caused by a viral infection in the blood, but remains dormant in many cases. But when the virus starts acting up years or even decades later, it can lead to cirrhosis of the liver or cancer in that organ.

Early detection, followed by effective treatment and careful observation, is vital to keeping the disease under control.

Because the exact nature of the hepatitis virus remained unknown until the late 1980s, no measures were taken to keep the virus out of blood used in transfusions. Blood products--because of the necessity of relying on donors--can cause extensive damage if they are contaminated with only a trace amount of the virus. Yet, companies that produced the products--along with medical institutions--did not take sufficient precautions.

A hypodermic needle is not the only source of infection. The syringe and the solution container also pose a risk. But medical personnel were lax in their safety procedures. There were cases in which the same needle and syringe were used for vaccinating multiple individuals. Before thorough inspection methods were implemented in the early 1990s, anyone who underwent medical treatment was at risk of becoming infected. Thus, it is only natural that the proposed new law states that the central government deserves blame for the causes of infection in many cases.

An estimated 3.5 million people in Japan are believed to have the hepatitis virus. But nobody knows when they will develop symptoms. Hepatitis has now replaced tuberculosis as a "national disease." Enactment of the new law must represent the first step toward eradicating the scourge of hepatitis.

The first priority should be to ease the burden on patients. Financial aid for interferon treatment became available last fiscal year, and the costs to be borne by patients are kept at between 10,000 yen and 50,000 yen a month depending on their income. However, the treatment does not work for many hepatitis B patients, and other types of medication for hepatitis B are not subsidized.

Progress is being made in treatment methods year by year. The new law will increase the government's fiscal burden to help hepatitis patients. But if effective early treatment can prevent victims from developing more serious conditions, this will ultimately reduce the cost burden on society as a whole.

Some patients have given up receiving treatment because they are unable to juggle their jobs with hospitalization and prolonged treatment sessions. Measures are needed to encourage greater understanding among employers and provide support to patients who must take prolonged sick leave. We also need to eliminate discrimination against patients to prevent them from losing jobs or being divorced by their spouses.

One troubling thing is the gap that separates hepatitis B and hepatitis C patients. The law enacted in January 2008 settled all lawsuits instituted by people who had contracted hepatitis C through tainted blood products. But even though the Supreme Court ruled in 2006 that the government was accountable for hepatitis B infections resulting from preventive vaccinations, 351 plaintiffs are still involved in lawsuits today at 10 district courts around the nation.

The government must start negotiations promptly for an out-of-court settlement and resolve the disputes for good.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Nov. 27(IHT/Asahi: November 28,2009)