Hepatitis on the rise in K-P

Official figures reveal at least 4,000 diagnosed with hepatitis C, 2,500 with hepatitis B this year so far

PESHAWAR: Number of patients suffering from hepatitis B and C is on the rise in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, a representative body of hematologists said quoting figures of government health facilities.

According to the Hepatology Association, at least 2,500 new cases of hepatitis B have been reported so far this year.

Stating official numbers, it said the number of patients diagnosed with hepatitis B has increased from 5,500 to 7,000 this year. The report does not include figures from tribal areas, it said.

At least 4,000 people have been diagnosed with hepatitis C so far this year, Haematology Association have been reported  past year has been reported and the

According to the Hepatology Association has reported that over 1,6000 patients of hepatitis C have been reported so far this year, while 12,000 people had been diagnosed with the disease last year.

Hepatologists believe that unreported patients of hepatitis C could be more than 70,000, which was alarming, while the measures from the government side were also reported insufficient.

The report also suggested that Lady Reading Hospital in the provincial capital has housed and registered some 1,500 patients of hepatitis C. At least 600 hepatitis C patients were registered with Sherpao Medical Teaching Institute, and Hayatabad Medical Complex and 500 were at the Naseerullah Baber Memorial Hospital in Peshawar.

While at district headquarter hospitals level the data showed that district Swat has 1,200 registers patients of hepatitis C, Masehra district 1,200, Charsadda 600, Mardan 600, Bannu 600, Buner 500. Nowshera 200, Tank and Lakki Marwat shared the figures of 200 each.

Hepatitis B has also spread at an alarming level. DI Khan tops the list of registered hepatitis B patients with 1,300 people suffeiring from the disease. Bannu has 600 registered patients of hepatitis B, Tank 500, Mansehra 400, Buner 200, Swat 200, Lakki Marwat 150.

The K-P health department has purchased Rs500 million worth of medicines for hepatitis patients as compared with Rs700 million spent for the purpose by the Punjab government last year.

The doctors suggested that contaminated water, food, ill planned sewerage system at rural and urban areas, use of infected medical equipment and lesser awareness are the major factors behind the disease.

A senior official of K-P Hepatitis Control Programme said that 300 million people around the world are living with viral hepatitis unaware that they have the disease, similarly a sizeable number of people in K-P are unaware of this viral disease.

He said that a new medicine Velpatasvir has been introduced for prevention of this disease the use of which can help a patient control this disease in three months.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 16^th, 2019.