HYDERABAD, Dec 7: District Nazim Kanwar Naveed Jamil has said that the district government has decided to launch a campaign against hepatitis-B from Monday as prevalence of the disease has attained alarming proportions in the district.

He said that during the campaign, children up to the age of 10 years would be vaccinated against hepatitis-B and tests would be carried out for the general public. He added that if anyone was found afflicted by the disease, the district government would bear expenses of treatment.

He was speaking at a meeting held at his secretariat here on Friday to find out ways and means to prevent the spread of the fatal disease. The meting was attended by EDO health Dr Mohammad Sharif Rathore, district health committee chairman Dr Arif Razmi, Shah Bhitai Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Jamil Ahmed Shaikh and the medical superintendents of other district hospitals.

In his briefing, the EDO said that as compared to the urban areas, hepatitis was spreading faster in the rural areas. Quoting a recent survey, he said that in Tando Hyder union council of the Rural taluka, 197 blood samples were taken and 93 people were found affected. He added that according to an estimate, four per cent of the area population suffered from hepatitis-B.