China: hepatitis treatment fails to keep pace with economy; Datmonitor report

Death as a result of infectious diseases in China is said to have fallen dramatically over the past 50 years, from being the leading cause in 1952 to the 10th in 2004. A statement made by a senior health official in China in January, said improvements in disease management and prevention have helped to transform the nation's infectious disease health care. However, according to a new report from independent market analyst Datamonitor, there is still a considerable distance to go before China's health care system reaches western standards.

Despite the country's rapidly improving economic situation, health care in China remains poor and infectious disease transmission continues to be a significant concern. Hepatitis is a major health problem in China, which is home to a third of hepatitis B patients and a quarter of hepatitis C patients globally, says Datamonitor's infectious disease analyst Mark Belsey. "Hepatitis is a particular problem in more rural areas, where the quality of health care is lower, a lower percentage of the population can afford health care, and where the quality and availability of both vaccines and pharmaceutical treatment is low."

"There are also problems with the border regions; in terms of prostitution and drug use, which encourage the spread of infectious diseases. Furthermore, migration from the borders and rural regions to eastern coastal regions is changing the dynamics of the epidemiology of hepatitis, particularly as birth rates decelerate in the more Westernized regions," says Dr Belsey.