A new method has been devised at Shenzhen Donghu Hospital to diagnose the hepatitis B virus and produce vaccine.

The Donghu hospital specializes in infectious diseases.

Wang Zhaoqing, a doctor at the hospital, said the new method diagnosed the virus by scanning DNA.

The incidence of hepatitis B in Shenzhen is high with as many as 15 percent of the population infected with the virus.

Hospital director Zhou Boping said the current treatment for the disease was limited and there should be better ways to deal with it.

Zhou said that while the new technique can quickly diagnose hepatitis B by scanning DNA, it can also help form an anti-hepatitis B protein vaccine, which can help the body improve immunity against the disease. He said it was possible that the vaccine could become an effective treatment for chronic hepatitis B patients.

The new technique had been certified by Shenzhen’s scientific and public health authorities as a world leader.

(Shenzhen Daily December 6, 2004)