Rawalpindi Medical University Vice-Chancellor Dr Muhammad Umar said that Hepatitis B and C are curable but it is better to prevent them as prevention is better than the cure.
Hepatitis can turn harmful once it crosses three of its stages, he said, adding that in order to avoid hepatitis, we need to consume boiled water. He emphasised that public awareness regarding the causes and treatment of hepatitis is the responsibility of all.
He was speaking at an event organised by the university in connection with the World Hepatitis Day observed on July 28. The day is aimed at raising public awareness regarding the rapid spread of hepatitis and its adverse impacts on health.
On Thursday, an awareness programme and a walk was organised at RMU in which senior professors, doctors, and students of RMU participated.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 35.4 million people worldwide suffer from hepatitis, whereas half a million Pakistanis are also suffering from the disease. Every year, 1.1m people die of hepatitis B and C infections. Currently, 9.4m people are under treatment for hepatitis C. Moreover, nearly 42 percent of children are vaccinated against hepatitis B while 58 percent remain deprived. The World Health Organisation has set a target to eliminate 90 percent of hepatitis B and C by the year 2030.
Dr Umar said that the majority of the people who die of hepatitis belong to the ASEAN countries. Unfortunately, Afghanistan ranks first and Pakistan ranks second in the world in terms of disease prevalence of hepatitis. In Pakistan, the federal government has decided to launch the Prime Minister's National Hepatitis Eradication Program on a large scale. The programme has been extended to all four provinces. The responsibility lies on the provinces to counter and control the spread of disease via practical measures by allocating the required budget for this program.
He added that a patient suffering from hepatitis may eventually develop liver cancer, while breast cancer is the second most common complication of the disease.
According to health experts, 80 percent of hepatitis cases are a result of unnecessary injections, moreover, dental treatments by unqualified doctors, unsterilized instruments, blood transfusion without safety measures, pricking of noses and ears with unsterilized instruments at beauty salons, and circumcision of children with unclean instruments are also among the causes of the disease and its rapid spread.
Dr Umar said that hepatitis can be avoided if preventive measures are taken. People must not get unnecessary injections and only disposable surgical instruments that are sterile should be used. Blood transfusion without screening should also be avoided. He added that if hepatitis is not diagnosed at the right time, it becomes harmful and can lead to complications such as liver shrinkage, blood vomiting, and liver cancer. In such cases, the solution is to get rid of the disease via a liver transplant.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 30th, 2022.
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