SIALKOT, June 22: The district health authorities have declared the incidence of hepatitis alarming as hepatitis B and C is rapidly spreading in Sialkot owing to a lack of awareness and preventive measures.

District Health Officer Dr Javed Warraich said on Friday the health department conducted hepatitis B and C screening tests of more than 3,000 people during a recently-established camp at the Government Allama Iqbal Memorial Hospital.

Of the 3,000 people who underwent screening, as many as 550 were found hepatitis C positive and 142 hepatitis B positive, he said, describing the incidence as alarming.

The DHO said more than 600,000 people out of the population of 3.4 million in Sialkot were suffering from hepatitis. He said the federal and provincial governments should address the issue by taking preventive measures and launching awareness drives.

One of the major causes of high hepatitis incidence was use of contaminated drinking water being supplied by the Tehsil Municipal Administration, the DHO said.

VISIT: Sudan’s minister of state for sports and culture Abd Algadir Mohammad Zain pledged on Friday that footballs would be imported from Sialkot instead of from European and African countries.