MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

“Wash your hands” campaign in Chile

A massive communicational and educational campaign to prevent the spread of Hepatitis A outbreaks particularly in metropolitan Santiago de Chile was launched this week by the Chilean Ministry of Public Health and the city's environmental authorities.

The doubling of winter hepatitis cases in the country's capital, described by Chile's Medical College as an "epidemic", has caused widespread concern among the population and a controversy with doctors who favour a national vaccination campaign.

"Everybody in action against hepatitis: the solution is in your hands", is the official motto of the full month radio and television campaign to emphasize personal hygiene with additional literature and pamphlets targeted to those groups and places considered "vulnerable" such as children, schools and the many deprived neighbourhoods without sewage surrounding Santiago.

Interviewed by a local broadcasting station Chilean Public Health Minister Pedro García said that although children are most exposed to contagion, "and most cases are among children, risks extend to the whole population particularly to those who don't respect elementary hygiene practices".

"People must wash their hands, vegetables, and be especially careful with sea food", underlined Minister García, adding that basic hygiene will help to "significantly minimize the risks of contracting hepatitis".

Santiago environmental health authorities said they will be distributing thousands of pamphlets in schools and poor areas of the city as well as in places with large concentration of people.

Soledad Ubilla, Director of Metropolitan Environmental Health indicated they will target the most vulnerable 250 schools of Santiago as well as reinforce inspections in "restaurants, quick food outlets, dinning rooms of high schools and universities and severely sanction and close those places that don't follow sanitary recommendations". However Chilean sanitary officials insisted that vaccination, as has been the case since last year, will be limited to areas surrounding the outbreaks, and called on parents not to despair by attempting to purchase the hepatitis vaccine.

"We call on people to keep calm, don't rush out to buy the vaccine, please act rationally and don't panic, it's much safer to keep to the recommendations than create an abnormally high prices market for the vaccine", stressed Minister García.

The government's hepatitis policy has been questioned by Chile's Medical College, the Paediatrics Association, health workers unions and the pharmaceutical industry, all of whom favour a national vaccination campaign. Regarding Punta Arenas the situation seems under control. According to the local Epidemiological Service this year five cases have been reported, compared to 17 last year and the average 25 in the last few years.

"The fact we are relatively free at the moment does not mean we can't have an outbreak further on. The whole population is susceptible to hepatitis and this we must keep in mind, since hepatitis, as was cholera and typhus, is endemic in Chile", said Eduardo Velázquez from the local Epidemiology Unit.

Lidia Amarales from the Magallanes Region Junior Schools Board recalled that hepatitis is a highly contagious pathology and good hygiene practices are the best way to "block" the spread of the disease.

"There' no need to vaccinate. People must wash their hands, schools and prep schools must be kept clean, all food manipulation must be done in the most hygienic conditions. Hepatitis spreads from contaminated depositions and hands are the transmission agent", remarked Ms. Amarales