Health authorities in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) are urging immediate action against hepatitis caused by heavy alcohol consumption and smoking which increases the risk of severe liver damage.
Department of Health- CAR Development Officer III Darwin Babon, who is also the regional program manager of the Viral Hepatitis Prevention Program highlighted a critical gap in the regional healthcare response.
“Ang problema dito sa Cordillera, walang direktang pathway, what’s next after diagnosis?” Babon said, stressing local plans must address regional needs.
Babon added under the leadership of DOH-CAR regional director Dr. Amelita Pangilinan, all regional facilities will soon have Hepatitis B testing kits with Hepatitis C kits.
As of 2026, around 200 individuals in the Cordillera are actively undergoing treatment for Hepatitis B.
The local drive comes amid high global and regional numbers, where 2.9 percent of the global population (240 million) live with chronic Hepatitis B and 0.6 percent (47 million) with Hepatitis C with recorded deaths from HBV and HCV spiked by 8 percent despite an 11 percent drop in overall transmission.
To bridge the gap after diagnosis, Baguio City and DOH-CAR are adapting five global priority actions focusing on HBV treatment, HCV treatment, birth-dose vaccination, antiviral prophylaxis, and injection safety.
Health authorities are implementing a multi-step plan, to turn these priorities into concrete local action, such as bringing rapid testing directly to barangays and schools, procuring direct therapeutic medicines to immediately treat diagnosed patients, actively involving the community through health activities, and securing stronger political and financial backing from local government units.
Medical Officer IV Dr. Virgilio Clement Bilalat of the Baguio City Health Services Office, meanwhile said many individuals in the region are infected without showing any symptoms, making them prone to unknowingly spreading the virus.
“Dahil wala silang sintomas, madali silang makakahawa sa iba,” Bilalat warned, pointing out that most patients only discover their condition once it has already progressed to severe complications like liver cancer or cirrhosis.
Bilalat noted that during a recent targeted screening among Baguio entertainment workers, three individuals tested reactive for Hepatitis B in just two months, it pushes the vital need for early detection and immediate community intervention. Noemi Salatic | UC Intern
