HYDERABAD, Aug 5: Hepatology specialist Dr Sadiq Memon has said that hepatitis-C has infected about 170 million people in the world that is about three per cent of the world’s population.

“Hepatitis-C claims 5,000 lives every year in the United States and prevalence of HCV is 1.5 per cent in the US whereas in Pakistan it is six per cent, ” he said.

Giving a lecture at the Isra University here on Friday, he said the risk of chronic infection with hepatitis-C was around 70 to 80 per cent.

He said the Isra University hospital conducted two population-based studies regarding the prevalence of the disease in Hyderabad.

The first study was conducted in a thickly-populated and low socio-economic area, Ghumanabad, in 2004, where 73 (21 per cent) people were found positive, (chronic Hepatitis-C) after examining 333 persons.

Use of un-sterilized glass syringe and history of previous hospitalization were the main risk factors of getting HCV in this particular area, Dr Memon said.

He said the study revealed that the prevailing condition in this area was alarming as only 10 per cent of the population in the area was vaccinated against Hepatitis-B.

The second study was conducted at Karam Nizamani village near Bhitshah where 558 inhabitants were examined and the prevalence of HCV infection was 4.5 per cent and 88 per cent infection was found in more than 15 years of age.

He said hepatitis-C was mostly seen in married people in equal numbers among men and women tested in the study and only 12.5 per cent of its population was vaccinated against hepatitis-B.

He said these results have proved that the prevalence of the disease was on rise in the country due to lack of proper awareness in common measures about the disease and its prevention.

SU: The chairman of the department of public management sciences, Prof Yousuf Pardesi and the director of the institute of information technology of the University of Sindh, Dr A.W. Ansari, announced here on Friday for the information of all students concerned of evening programme of the first semester and the second semester for Master of Public Administration and Postgraduate Diploma in Public Administration and IT to attend their classes regularly.