Daily Times

At least one person expected to be affected by the Hepatitis B and C virus in every family in the country which is needed certain measures to overcome this disease.

These views were expressed by Post Graduate Medical Institute Principal Professor Al-Fareed Zafar during the awareness walk held at the Lahore General Hospital, here on Wednesday. He said that Hepatitis B and C are extremely deadly viruses that cause countless diseases and deaths worldwide. He said that majority of the Pakistani population do not get their medical checkup due to lack of awareness as well as economic and social problems. He stressed on providing more awareness to the new generation about hepatitis.

The Principal PGMI suggested that apart from organizing special lectures in educational institutions, it is also important to add a chapter about Hepatitis B and C in the syllabus. He said that where people spend a lot of money on their food, they should also go for blood screening at least once a year to determine that they are not suffering from any kind of viral infection. He said that viral diseases could be controlled by providing timely treatment to the patient if any disease appears in blood screening result.

Talking to the media, Prof. Al-Fareed Zafar said that there is a wrong impression among the public that Hepatitis B and C are spread through contaminated water and food items and clarified that the virus is not transmitted through water but through the blood and secretions of patients. He said that to prevent the transmission of this virus, the instruments used in the operation theater, barber shops and dentists’ clinics should be sterilized, for which public awareness is important because quacks, barbers sitting on the side of the road and cleaning teeth and ears are the main cause of rapid spread of this virus. He said that 328 million people worldwide are currently suffering from various types of hepatitis while 17.5 million new cases of hepatitis C are coming every year, which is very alarming. He said that in 2015, 13.40 million deaths occurred due to hepatitis since 2000 and these figures must be taken seriously.

The medical experts highlighted that according to the research report of Gastroenterology Organization, Pakistan is the third largest country affected by Hepatitis C in the world and more than 111 people died as a result of Hepatitis B and C every day. They said that the number of people suffering from both diseases in Pakistan is more than 1.5 million, of which the majority did not know about their disease. They said that deaths due to hepatitis, TB, dengue, malaria and AIDS are more than normal.