With the theme "prevent hepatitis, act now", the city witnessed the World Hepatitis Day-2015 on Tuesday with a renewed pledge to continue efforts to contain the spread. To mark the day, organisations held seminars, scientific sessions, symposiums, walks and other gatherings in a bid to create public awareness.
Speakers told participants that the infection is transferred through the blood and damages liver. It can also affect other parts of the body including the immune system, digestive system and the brain. Health professionals called for focusing preventive measures in accordance with the international standards to control hepatitis. They reveal that more than 15 million people in Pakistan are infected with hepatitis and the number is increasing at an alarming rate annually.
They said all the five hepatitis viruses are prevalent in the country - some five million people are suffering from hepatitis B and another seven million from hepatitis C. There are multiple reasons behind the spread of hepatitis at an alarming rate. Along with the ignorance of the masses about the disease, reports regarding the presence of certain bacteria in the water supply systems in cities surface every now and then.
Hepatitis-B and hepatitis-C have emerged as major public health problems in Pakistan. It is estimated that every 12th Pakistani is potentially infected with either hepatitis B or C. As per estimates, overall prevalence of hepatitis-B and C is 3-4 (six million infections) and 6-8 (seven million infections), respectively, in Pakistan.
Viral hepatitis - a group of infectious diseases known as hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E - affects hundreds of millions of people world-wide, causing acute and chronic liver disease and killing close to 1.5 million people every year, mostly from hepatitis B and C. These infections can be prevented but most people are unaware. In this connection, a free medical camp was organised in the Shalimar Hospital, where patients were facilitated by free screening and other related medical check-ups along with subsidised vaccination of hepatitis B.
Physicians of the hospital Doctor Haroon Yousaf and Dr Maryam Tarar said the spread in the country was just because of the re-use of disposable syringes, transfusion of unscreened blood, use of contaminated equipment in medical facilities, sharing razor blades and unfiltered water supply.
The Punjab chief minister had set up a joint action committee comprising officers of different departments to prevent, control and manage hepatitis cases in Punjab. This committee would prepare a joint action plan and standing operating procedures for hepatitis B and C on the pattern of dengue control programme. This committee would evolve terms of references and action plan for prevention and control of hepatitis B and C and recommendations for public awareness, hospital waste management, case management of hepatitis patients and other related matters.