PESHAWAR: The number of hepatitis patients is on the rise in the province owing to lack of awareness regarding the causes of viral ailment, according to health experts.

“The countrywide prevalence of hepatitis is seven per cent. Five per cent of the patients suffer from hepatitis C and two per cent from B type of the liver-related disease,” a senior physician told Dawn.

He said that studies showed that the existence of the illness was higher in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa than other parts of the country because the people of the province didn’t have information about the causative agents of the disease.

The physician said that most of the patients, who visited hospitals for some other ailments, were diagnosed positive for B or C type of hepatitis when they were subjected to investigations.

Experts say existence of illness higher in KP than other parts of country

The people underwent mandatory test for hepatitis before surgery at the hospitals and many of them were dropped from surgery following detection of the ailment, he said.

“The government needs to spread awareness among the people to safeguard them against hepatitis. The people should avoid getting unnecessary injections and shouldn’t visit unauthorised medical practitioners,” said the health expert.

Another senior doctor told Dawn that provincial government was introducing new treatment programmes for the disease. He said that the results of those programmes were most effective but awareness was the only way to put brakes on the ailment.

He said that re-use of syringes, shaving at the barber shops, piercing ears and nose with dirty needles and use of unsterile instruments by dentists were the prime causes of the disease.

“Even the health professionals risk the ailment due to lack of safety measures,” said the doctor. He said that spread of ailment through sex was less than one per cent but the other causes played significant role in increasing number of patients.

“The government should undertake awareness campaign to inform the people about its causes and prevention,” he said.

A gastroenterologist at one of the teaching hospitals said that health department started six-month oral treatment two years ago in the province, the results of which were encouraging.

Early this year, another pill was introduced that further shortened treatment regime to three months while a newest tablet is being launched within a month, with efficacy rate of 95 per cent, to lessen the burden of the sickness.

“The provincial government has provided free of cost investigation and treatment facilities to 20,000 hepatitis patients during the past two years with 90 per cent efficacy rate. But it is not a solution and we need to start campaigns at the school, college, universities and community level,” said the gastroenterologist.

The health department has started vaccination of newborns at the hospitals as well as of health workers at the hospitals but is short of staff to start advocacy against the disease.

It has also put in place free testing and drug distribution facilities in 33 cities where free screening kits have been provided but again lack of awareness hampers the department’s resolve to cope with the disease.

Officials at the health department said that they were preparing a plan, which if approved by the government, would lead to awareness drive throughout the province.

Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2018