‘Hepatitis cases multiplying at alarming speed in Pakistan'
In every 16th minute, a person dies of Hepatitis and in every 31st minute, a woman loses her life during childbirth in Pakistan. These lives can be saved, as these diseases are curable. Vice Chancellor of Dow University of Health Sciences, Prof Nusrat Shah shared her views while addressing a seminar, organised in connection with the World Hepatitis Day, as a chief guest.
The seminar was organised by Pakistan Society of Gastroenterology in collaboration with World Gastroenterology Organization.
Prof Saad Khalid Niaz and Prof Khalid Mahmood acted as session chairs, while Prof Amanullah Abbasi, Prof Bader Faiyaz Zuberi, Dr Huma Qureshi, Dr Sajjad Jameel, Dr Abdul Qadir Memon, Dr Majid presented their papers.
Prof Nusrat Shah said, every day 50 women die during childbirth and in all deaths around 96 people die silently due to various types of Hepatitis.
Dr Sajjad Jameel said that according to the World Health Organization’s estimates, 100,000 people die from Hepatitis A and 60,000 from Hepatitis E. The death rate is much higher in pregnant women. Hepatitis A accounts for 50 to 60 per cent of acute viral Hepatitis in children in the country. Almost 96 per cent of children under the age of five years are exposed to Hepatitis A while approximately 98 to 100 per cent adults are exposed to Hepatitis A at adulthood.
Hepatitis A is common in young adults. Symptoms of Hepatitis A include fever, jaundice, indigestion, yellow urine, weakness, vomiting, right sided abdominal pain, nausea, dizziness.
He said that vaccination, washing dishes, fruits and vegetables properly, eating well cooked food, and using medicines as per doctor’s instructions are the best ways to prevent Hepatitis.
He said that overall mortality rate due to acute Hepatitis E ranges 0.4 to 4.0 per cent; however, mortality rate gets much higher in pregnancy.
Dr Huma Qureshi said that China tops the list of countries affected by Hepatitis C followed by Pakistan.
According to a 2019 report, the risk of getting Hepatitis C from blood transfusions is the highest with a rate of 14.8 per cent. Spread of Hepatitis in the second place includes reuse of syringes or injections, hospital history, dental treatment, and surgical history etc.
According to recent survey of 2020, 164,000 new cases of hepatitis C were reported in Pakistan.
Prof Bader Faiyaz Zuberi said, WHO estimates that 296 million people were living with chronic Hepatitis B infection in 2019, with 1.5 million new infections each year.
According to the data, 820,000 deaths occurred as a result of Hepatitis B in 2019.
He said that family history should not be ignored during the assessment of the patient. There is currently no effective vaccine against Hepatitis C. He said that all children born to Hepatitis C-infected women should be tested for Hepatitis C from the age of 18 months. Treatment of Hepatitis C during pregnancy is not recommended. Women infected with Hepatitis are not prohibited from breastfeeding, but in case of bleeding from the nipple, it is necessary to consult a specialist.
Dr. Abdul Qadir Memon said that Hepatitis D has the highest fatality rate.
At the end of the ceremony, Prof Amanullah Abbasi expressed his gratitude to the guests and Prof Dr. Nusrat Shah presented certificates to the speakers.