70% of the Vietnamese infected with bacteria that can cause stomach cancer

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The conference on digestive and hepatic secretion was held by Bach Mai Hospital in collaboration with Nagoya University (Japan) on September 17 in Hanoi with the attendance of more than 300 professors, doctors from 20 hospitals in Northern Vietnam and specialists from Nagoya University’s Hospital.

The conference is an opportunity for Vietnamese doctors to learn about the medical advances in Gastroenterology and Hepatology from the professors and doctors from Japan.

70% of the Vietnamese infected with bacteria that can cause stomach cancer.

Dr. Vu Truong Khanh, Head of the Gastroenterology Department, Bach Mai Hospital, said that the rate of antibiotic resistance to the HP bacteria treatment is quiet high in Vietnam. Many medications for the HP bacteria treatment in many countries have a success rate of up to 80 – 90% but it is under 80% in Vietnam.

The HP bacteria can be spread by eating, which leads family members to repeated infection.

A recent study in Hanoi shows that, 700 in every 1,000 adults are infected with the HP bacteria while 90% of residents of Ho Chi Minh City suffering gastroenteritis have the HP bacteria in their stomachs.

Experts said that it is necessary to eliminate the bacteria to prevent gastrointestinal bleeding, perforation of stomach and stomach cancer.

However, doctors warned of high rate of drug resistance because people abuse antibiotic and refuse to follow doctors’ prescription which helps the bacteria become resistant to many kinds of antibiotics. It results in difficult and long time treatment.

According to Ass. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Quoc Anh of Bach Mai Hospital, the first scientific seminar on the issue was held with the assistance of Japan’s Nagoya University in November 2013. The second seminar was held in July 2014 marking a great turning point with the establishment of the Vietnam - Japan Digestive Endoscopic Center in Bach Mai Hospital.