12 million Pakistanis infected with hepatitis

With a national prevalence of 4.9% for hepatitis C and 2.4% for hepatitis B, Pakistan is currently facing an epidemic of

viral hepatitis. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 12 million Pakistanis are infected with hepatitis, the major causes for the spread of which include frequent use of therapeutic injections, re-use of syringes, inappropriate sterilisation practices and poor hospital waste management.

In Pakistan, many patients have lost their lives at the hands of quacks, who are known for mismanagement of hepatitis. “Pakistan needs to institute strictest possible laws to end quackery so that unwary patients don’t end up losing their lives. Mismanagement of hepatitis B and C can lead to liver cancer. It is, therefore critical that only qualified specialists be consulted for treatment,” Dr. Tashfeen Adam, head of the department of gastroenterology at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) stated on the eve of World Hepatitis Day here on Friday. He said, there has been a 25% increase in the number of hepatitis patients reporting this year, as compared to last year, and attributed the same to rising public awareness.

Sharing relevant data, PIMS spokesman Dr. Waseem Khwaja disclosed that between 350 to 400 patients suffering from various digestive diseases are treated in the Out-Patient Department of gastroenterology at PIMS every day. Sixty percent of these patients are diagnosed with hepatitis, and 2% new cases are diagnosed while screening of surgical cases. Moreover, 2,300 patients have been admitted and treated for complications of hepatitis like bleeding, drowsiness, infections and coma, since January 1, 2012, and five percent of the hospital’s emergency is occupied by patients suffering from complications of hepatitis. Dr. Waseem said, 3,500 patients of hepatitis C are receiving free interferon therapy from Zakat and Pakistan Baitul-Mal funds at PIMS. Two types of free interferon injections are being provided to hepatitis C patients. The executive director of PIMS Dr. Mehmood Jamal also stressed the need for patients to consult qualified doctors for treatment of hepatitis. Research by WHO shows that hepatitis can be acute or chronic, and may result in serious complications or even death.

Viral hepatitis affects 1 in every 12 people worldwide. It affects those close to them too. Around 500 million people worldwide are chronically infected with two types of blood-borne hepatitis: hepatitis B and C. Approximately 1 million people die each year from related complications, most commonly from liver diseases including liver cancer. In the Eastern Mediterranean Region, 17 million people are living today with hepatitis C infection, and approximately 4.3 million people are infected with hepatitis B infection every year. The key message of World Hepatitis Day is that hepatitis is preventable. Everyone can get this disease, yet it rarely affects those who consciously guard against it. Hepatitis is caused by a group of viruses that infect the liver through either consumption of contaminated food and water or exposure to unsafe blood and infected body fluids. Everyone has a role to confront hepatitis. At the community and individual level, certain behavioural practices increase the risk of these infections substantially, for example reuse of razor blades and injection syringes by traditional healers and tattooists and harmful behaviours such as sharing needles and drug abuse. Provision of safe food and water would greatly prevent hepatitis A and E. Within health facilities, screening of blood and blood products, safe injection practices and clean dental work can significantly reduce the risk of infection from hepatitis B and C. On the occasion of World Hepatitis Day, WHO’s Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr. Ala Alwan has urged policy-makers, civil society, and health professionals to combine efforts to confront this silent epidemic. In a message, Dr. Alwan has drawn attention to the fact that the chronic nature of hepatitis B and C infection calls for strong focus on screening, care and treatment. “With early detection and appropriate management, it is possible to change the quality of life of millions of people who are living with this disease,” he has stressed.