KARACHI, June 5: Sindh Minister for Health and Population Welfare Ehsan Ahmad has said that Hepatitis-B is a deadly disease which kills 1.1 million people in the world every year and leads to a high morbidity rate leading to cirrhosis of the liver and hepato-cellular cancer.

He was speaking at the launch ceremony of Hepatitis-B vaccination at Sheen Park, Nawabshah, a handout said here on Wednesday.

Ahsan Ahmad said that the silent carriers of Hepatitis-B increased the risk of infection to innocent people. There are 5.6 million Hepatitis-B carriers in Pakistan.

To avoid these calamities, Pakistan has started Hepatitis-B vaccination for infants with the help of Global Alliance for Vaccine Initiative (GAVI), he added.

He hoped that the government would succeed in its endeavour and be able to prevent the disease by catching it by the roots with the help of Nazims and Naib Nazims as this vaccine is an expensive commodity and we should use it with utmost care so as to prevent pilferage at all levels as random vaccination to adults would not give the desired immunity and would not reduce the carrier rate.

He, therefore, requested the parents to come forward for immunization on time — at six weeks, ten weeks and 14 weeks.

The minister appreciated the efforts of GAVI and other donor agencies for their work for the children in the country.

He hoped that the people would work together to improve the routine immunization to control vaccine preventable diseases.

Faryal Talpur, District Nazim Nawabshah, and the EPI project director, Dr Shamsun Nisa Ansari, also spoke.—PPI