HYDERABAD, June 26: Vice chancellor of the Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences Jamshoro, Prof Dr.Noshad Ahmed Shaikh, has said that cases of Hepatitis-B and C were increasing in Sindh which is a matter of grave concern.

He said according to a survey, 20 per cent of the population in Sindh was suffering from Hepatitis-B and 22 per cent from Hepatitis-C and termed the situation very alarming.

He was speaking at a seminar organized by “Centre for Injection Safety” on the topic of “Standard Precautions for Injection Safety” at Civil Hospital Hyderabad here on Tuesday.

Prof Shaikh said that the basic purpose of this seminar was to promote use of safe injections. He said Hepatitis-B and C disease has posed a great challenge to the Sindh Health Department and added that all the stake holders, specially the doctors and the general public, would have to undertake joint and concerted efforts to check the spread of these dangerous diseases.

He said Liaquat Medical University would extend full support in furtherance of this objective. He said the print and electronic media could play a vital role in creating awareness among the people against Hepatitis-B and C.

Prof Shaikh said that under the hepatitis control programme, children and poor people should be given preference. He said re-use of syringes and quackery were the main causes of Hepatitis-B and C and AIDS.

The Director, Centre for Injection Safety, Dr Amir Javed Khan, disclosed that Sindh has become more vulnerable to Hepatitis-B and C as compared to other provinces.

He said the main causes of this disease were the re-use of used syringes.

The coordinator of the Prime Minister's Hepatitis Programme, Dr.Zulfiqar Gorar, said that all out efforts were being made to root out Hepatitis-B and C from the country. He stressed the need for creating awareness among the people against Hepatitis-B and C.

Prof Noor Mohammad Memon also spoke on the occasion. A large number of graduate and post-graduate doctors, professors, deans, medical staff and nursing staff attended the seminar.