LAHORE: Like other parts of the country, the World Hepatitis Day was observed in Punjab on Monday.

The Punjab Directorate of Health Services organised an awareness walk from Cooper Road to the Punjab Assembly building to sensitize the public about the disease.

Parliamentary Secretary on Health Khawaja Imran Nazir and health department officials also took part in the walk.

The Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA) in its recent report revealed that every 12th person in the world and every 10th person in Pakistan suffers from hepatitis disease.

It said the non-availability of clean drinking water and re-usage of syringes are among the main causes of spread of hepatitis.

“Hepatitis is said to be the third widely-prevalent disease in Pakistan which has affected over 15 million population of the country,” said PIMA Central president Dr Misbah-ul-Aziz while quoting a report.

According to medical experts, the World Hepatitis Day is observed on July 28 every year with an aim to raise global awareness about hepatitis -- a group of infectious diseases known as Hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E -- and encourage prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

They said hepatitis affects hundreds of thousands of people worldwide, taking lives of close to 1.4 million people every year.

Medical experts said that revolutionary changes were taking place in the treatment of hepatitis C. It can be cured and even totally eliminated from the world map.

They said the world had achieved a milestone in curbing the deadly disease by producing a miracle drug -- Sovaldi -- for oral use. It has a potential to cure 90 per cent patients compared to the interferon mode of treatment.

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2014