Hepatitis elimination from society linked to awareness

275,000 more persons diagnosed with disease with each passing year

LAHORE:

A seminar on hepatitis awareness and prevention, organised by Express Media Group, Hilton Pharma and Pakistan Society of Gastroenterology, was held at a local hotel on Friday.

The seminar was attended by Pakistan Society of Gastroenterology president, Lahore General Hospital LGH Associate Professor of Medicine Dr Israrul Haq Toor, Sheikh Zayed Hospital Head of Gastroenterology Department Kashif Malik, Lahore Medical and Dental College Professor of Medicine Shumail Zafar, LGH Department of Gastroenterology Associate Professor Dr Akif Dilshad and LGH Department of Gastroenterology Assistant Professor Dr Ghayasul Hassan.

Express Media Group Moderator and Forum Editor Ajmal Sattar Malik hosted the event whereas LGH Department of Gastroenterology Assistant Professor Dr Bilal Nasir and LGH Department of Gastroenterology Senior Registrar Dr Farwa Javed addressed the gathering.

Hepatitis is a deadly but treatable disease. As many as 275,000 more people fall victim to it every year but the awareness rate in the society was only 28%.

Read Rise in hepatitis cases termed alarming

There were few types of vaccines available to prevent the infection. The spread of hepatitis can be reduced by boiling water, clean food, avoiding unnecessary injections, disinfecting barber as well as beauty parlor equipment, and using one’s own towels and toothbrushes.

Addressing the seminar, Dr Tayyab said, “Our slogan this year to spread awareness on hepatitis is that this deadly disease cannot wait. The number of patients suffering from this disease is increasing by 275,000 every year. The awareness rate of this disease in our society is only 28%.”

He further said people aware of hepatitis and its causes can play an important role in preventing this disease so that more and more people know and understand this infection.

“Over the past year and a half, the coronavirus pandemic has created a problem in Pakistan as well as in other countries around the world that people quickly die due to coronavirus while the death speed by hepatitis is slow.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 18^th, 2021.