Hepatitis prevention and control

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA: The World Hepatitis Day (WHD) is observed every year on July 28^th and brings the world together to raise awareness about the viral infection, hepatitis. In Pakistan, hepatitis is like the silent storm taking away the lives of numerous people. According to a statistical report, among every 10 Pakistanis, one suffers from hepatitis. There is also a very high death toll in Pakistan due to hepatitis. While patients in other countries are promptly treated and live a healthy life afterwards, here we have people affected by the disease to the extent that they need liver transplant. The difficulty of getting a compatible donor for the liver transplant is another story.

Hepatitis A spreads from poor sanitary conditions. In Pakistan, due to lack of knowledge of hygiene numerous people suffer from this disease. The only solution is good hygiene and its awareness. Hepatitis B and C spread through bodily fluids. The major causes of this disease in Pakistan are the reuse of syringes and medical instruments not being sterilised. In Pakistan, there is poor cleanliness in hospitals thus, hospitals become the hub of this disease. In hospitals, syringes are sometimes reused, although there is strict regulation against this. Syringes are also reused by the people who use illegal drugs. There is also a mafia working on collecting the syringes from the garbage, repackaging them and selling these to medical stores.

What we should do to eliminate Hepatitis B and C is that the syringes should be destroyed after a single use so that they cannot be repackaged. There should be regular checks in hospitals to make sure that hygiene is up to standard. Drug addicts should be taken into rehabilitation.

With efforts from the government and health sector, there may be a brighter future for prevention of hepatitis.

Arif Khan

Published in The Express Tribune, July 29^th, 2017.

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