VEHARI, March 5: Blood screening tests conducted on people from various segments of the society show that hepatitis prevalence is a serious health hazard in the district.

Recently, a two-day medical camp was held at the local DHQ hospital under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Hepatitis. At the camp, blood samples of 1,400 people, including women and children, from various walks of life were collected.

The screening results showed that out of 1,400, the blood samples of 255 people in various age groups were positive for hepatitis-C, while three to four per cent suffered from hepatitis-B.

DHQ hospital laboratory in charge Dr Maqsood Ahmad told Dawn that blood screening of about 300 students of the Government Girls College was also conducted under the programme. He said only two female students were found positive for hepatitis-C while as many had hepatitis-B.

Coordinator Dr Rustam Ali Kiayni said the programme was launched in 2005 under the federal health ministry.

He said that 61 centres established in phase-1 of the programme were conducting diagnostic survey on the population in various areas of the country. He said free of cost treatment would be provided to the poor found positive for the disease, which would help save millions of lives.

He said lack of awareness regarding the ailment among the public was a major reason for its rapid spread in the country.

He said vaccination against hepatitis for children under five years of age had been included in the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI). He said all positive hepatitis-C and B patients would be treated free of cost under the programme. The patients were being registered by the district health authorities concerned, he added.

Hospital sources said in the blood screening conducted among 1,200 policemen in the district, 100 were found positive for the disease.

DPO Malik Tassadaq Hyat said the affected policemen would be provided free of cost treatment.