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The smallpox vaccine that was administrated nation-wide from 1964 to 1982, is the main source of spread of Hepatitis-C in the country, while no step has been taken to assert the exact number of hepatitis patients Director, Hepatitis Research Centre, Dr Muhammad Aslam claimed this in a press conference here on Thursday. To a question regarding scientifically proof of his claim, Dr Aslam said that the statistics analysis revealed this fact. The Centre has already launched a campaign to create awareness among the public about this chronic disease, he added.
The Centre also conducted studies in Lahore and Gujranwala and people were screened for anti-Hepatitis-C virus (HCV), he claimed.
In Lahore, as many as 488 patients of average age of 28 years were detected, while in Gujranwala, among 1922 persons whose blood was tested, the ratio of Hepatitis-C carriers was found 23.8 percent, he added.
Elaborating, he said it can be seen that in those younger than 20 years of age, the occurrence of Hepatitis-C is almost at par with the rest of the world. While those more than 20 years of age had as high as 50 percent occurrence of this disease.
The time frame of contraction of the HCV for those individuals more than 20 years of age (approximately 20-35 years ago) corresponds with that of the smallpox eradication programme conducted in Pakistan from 1964-82.
This may indicate the likelihood of a relationship between the high rate of Hepatitis-C and the administration of the smallpox vaccine in Pakistan, he maintained.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2005

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