HYDERABAD, Nov 7: Around 40 million people throughout the world are suffering from hepatitis and their number in Pakistan was going up because of the unawareness of the disease among the masses, said Dr Abdul Majeed Chhutto during a press conference at the press club on Friday.

The provincial government has launched a three-year special programme worth Rs2,350 million to control the rising number of hepatitis cases.

The main target of the programme is to vaccinate newly borns within 12 hours of their birth against hepatitis as this is not included in the EPI, he said adding that some 1.4 million children would be immunised.

In addition 2,50,000 people, including prisoners would be tested and vaccinated every year with free treatment of 50,000 hepatitis-C and 6,000 hepatitis-B patients during three years, he said.

He said that the PCR test for the diagnosis of hepatitis was essential but this facility was available only in Karachi and Hyderabad as a result people of far-flung areas face enormous difficulties. Therefore, he said, PCR machines would also be installed at Larkana, Sukkur and Mirpurkhas under Chief Minister’s Programme. The programme had been launched and a camp in this regard was set-up at Shahpur Chakar in boys and girls schools on November 5 wherein 2,024 boys and 1,059 girls were vaccinated.

Answering a question, he said that 19 district governments have also launched separate programmes for the control and treatment of hepatitis and to check overlapping, the amount allocated by the district government will also be made available for it.

He said the chief minister had also agreed to legislate law to check quackery and reuse of syringes, blades etc.

Answering another question, he said so far about 5,500 hepatitis patients had been registered in Sindh.

To oversee the entire campaign and for the procurement of medicines, a 16-member steering committee headed by chief minister has also been constituted, he said.