LARKANA, Jan 10: An increasing number of hepatitis cases - including Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C - have been presenting at Larkana government hospitals from the district and areas along the provincial border with Balochistan.

According to data collected by this correspondent from the Medicine Department of Chandka Medical College Hospital, almost half of the out-patients have Hepatitis B.

Dr Hakim Abro, while confirming the statistics on Friday said that now the hospital was also receiving the cases of Hepatitis C in the OPD, and the number of cases were on the rise.

He said that earlier, statistics had shown that the cases of Hepatitis B was on the increase, but now, Hepatitis C is equally infecting and spreading among the population.

"People who had previously been made aware only of the intensity of Hepatitis B began to vaccinate themselves against this disease, while the graph of Hepatitis C grew and has attained alarming proportions," Dr Abro said.

Quoting an example, he said in only Unit-I of the Medicine Department of CMCH, out of 65 patients admitted, around 30 cases were found to be hepatitis and related diseases.

This speaks volumes of the intensity of the disease raging in the area, he said, adding that out of one 11-member family from Khosa village in Kambar town, 10 members were infected with Hepatitis B. This he found was quite alarming.

He added that the prevalence rate of Hepatitis was higher in the villages of the district than in towns and cities, and the majority of the cases were very young patients.

He said that the areas where this illness was increasing was in Gabidero, Ustam Muhammed, Shahdadkot, and the provincial border areas of Sindh and Balochistan.

When asked about the measure of blood screening at CMCH, he said that he was not satisfied, and that it needed standardization.