The high incidence of hepatitis is attributed by doctors to an increase in intake of alcohol and animal fat in diet, which has made hepatitis a so-called "Rich man's disease", said Prof. Fan Jiangao, with a hospital affiliated to the Shanghai University of Communications.

"Wealth is not to be blamed here, but the lack of knowledge about a healthy life," said doctor Yang Binghui, when giving lectures in Shanghai for public education marking Love Livers Day, which falls on March 18.

China's Ministry of Health said earlier in February that it is going to launch a nationwide survey on the current epidemic situation of hepatitis B, as the control of hepatitis B has been listed as one of the priorities of the ministry on its infectious disease control agenda.

It is estimated that China has some 120 million hepatitis B virus carriers, more than half of the world's total. The disease has caused a huge financial burden on patients' families.

According to a study by the Shanghai Academy of Contagious Diseases, the medical expense of a chronic hepatitis B patient averages 20,477 yuan (2,559 U.S. dollars) a year and more for hepatocirrhosis and liver cancer treatment. The country's total spending on treatment of the disease is estimated at 900 billion yuan (112.5 billion U.S. dollars) every year.

Over 80 percent of the hepatitis B virus infection in China is contracted through child birth, said doctors. They called for people not to discriminate against hepatitis virus carriers.

Source: Xinhua