Diseases such as Hepatitis B and C are rapidly spreading in the city due to contaminated water and unhygienic conditions. Talking to APP here on Saturday Consultant Physician Gastroenterologist and Herpetologist and Assistant Professor ISRA University Hospital Hyderabad, Dr Ali Akbar Siddiqui said that contaminated water and unhygienic conditions were causing fatal diseases such as Hepatitis B, C, Tuberculosis and skin related problems among the people.
He said that the Hepatitis B virus infection was one of the major health problems in the developing countries including Pakistan. He said that the main source of the spread of diseases was rat bite and mosquitoes. He said it is an easily controllable disease, however a mild lapse in precautions could lead to very disastrous consequences.
Dr Ali Akbar Siddiqui said that Hepatitis C and B were blood borne and usually chronic diseases, and have long-term consequences. He said that about 500 million people in the world had exposure to hepatitis, with Pakistan being no exception.
He said that there were two types of viral hepatitis in Pakistan, one was short lived and self-limited hepatitis A and E usually spread through feco-oral-route while hepatitis C and B were blood borne diseases. He said that almost one forth of the world populations had exposure to hepatitis, and Pakistan was no exception as every 12th individual has hepatitis B and C virus.
He informed that Hepatitis B and C were major health issues world-wide especially in developing and underdeveloped countries. It was responsible for significant morbidity and mortality in these countries. Dr Siddiqui said that lack of awareness about Hepatitis B and C among the general public was the main cause of its rapid spread in our country and this was the reason that prevalence rates in developing or underdeveloped countries were much higher as compared to developed countries.
He said that the alarming rise in number of patients with hepatitis B and C shows the inept and careless attitude of the government. He said that the most important aspect of prevention was screening of blood products, sterilised equipment, and better hygienic standards in barbershops.
Dr Ali Akbar Siddiqui said that for prevention purposes, there should be universal vaccination for hepatitis B, which was spreading at a fast pace everywhere in the country. Dr Ali Akbar stressed the need of critical importance of vaccination against hepatitis B and said that vaccinating all new-borns on the day of birth would result in a substantial drop in incidence over the next decade.
Commenting on the treatment of hepatitis B and C in Pakistan, he said that the treatment available in the country was at par with the rest of the world. He urged the government and NGOs to work together to control the spread of hepatitis B and C in Pakistan. He also demanded that all health workers, medical students and trained nurses should be vaccinated against hepatitis B.
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