TAIPEI: One out of every 10 executives of medium-sized and large companies in Taiwan is hepatitis B carriers and have taken no steps to treat the condition, leaving them vulnerable to serious liver disease. The findings were reported in a survey published yesterday.

The poll, sponsored by the Taiwan Advancing Clinical Treatment of Hepatitis B Virus Association (ACT-HBV), targeted executives of companies with over 200 employees and found that 16 percent of them are hepatitis B carriers.

Of the carriers, 72 percent have not sought follow-up treatment for the condition, meaning that one out of 10 executives is at high risk of developing cirrhosis or other serious liver diseases. A particularly high concentration of the vulnerable executives are in the high-tech industry.

Chien Rong-nan, the chief of the Division of Hepato-Gastroenterology in Chang Kung Memorial Hospital's Keelung Branch, said 24 percent of executives in Taiwan work under high pressure - averaging 11.5 hours of work per day and 6.3 hours of sleep.

The survey's results showed that while 20 percent of the executives said they were too busy to get medical treatment for the condition, another 20 percent of the hepatitis B carriers said they had taken Chinese herbal medicines or over-the-counter drugs to protect their livers.

Many people with hepatitis B do not notice symptoms until they become quite severe, said Chien, who is also the chairman of the Taiwan ACT-HBV association.

To encourage companies to take care of their employees' health, the association has launched a health check subsidization program.

Once employees of companies under the program are found to be hepatitis B carriers with problematic liver conditions, they can be given a follow-up test for hepatitis B virus free of charge. The test usually costs about NT$2,000 to NT$3,000.

China Daily/CNA

(HK Edition 01/21/2010 page2)