Doctors are warning wealthy Chinese people to be aware of the growing incidence of hepatitis, as nearly one in every 10 Chinese carries the hepatitis B virus.

The high incidence of hepatitis is due to an increase in intake of alcohol and animal fat, which has made hepatitis a so-called "rich man's disease," according to professor Fan Jiangao, who works at a hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

"Wealth is not to blame here, but the lack of knowledge about a healthy life," Dr Yang Binghui said during a public lecture about liver disease.

China's Ministry of Health said in February that it plans to launch a nationwide survey on the current hepatitis B situation in China, as controlling the virus is one of the ministry's top priorities.

It is estimated that China has some 120 million hepatitis B virus carriers, more than half of the world's total.

According to a study by the Shanghai Academy of Contagious Diseases, the average medical expense for a chronic hepatitis B patient is 20,477 yuan (US$2,560) a year.

The country's total spending on treatment of the disease is estimated at 900 billion yuan annually.

(Xinhua News Agency March 21, 2006)