PESHAWAR: The health department has decided to launch vaccination against hepatitis B in the government schools to safeguard students against viral infection.

A proposal has been sent by health department to the education department for provision of free vaccination to protect the students from hepatitis B, which has no treatment so far.

Health Secretary Abid Majeed, who also holds additional charge of elementary and secondary education department, has already given go-ahead for the campaign for which modalities are being sorted out.

The students of government schools would be inoculated and there would be awareness sessions in morning assembly where the students would be informed about the causes of the disease and significant of vaccination.

Dr Kalimullah Khan, head of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Hepatitis Control Programme, said that unlike C type of hepatitis, which had proper treatment, there was no specific cure of hepatitis B due to which the vaccination was the only way to protect people.

Students will be also informed about causes of disease

“We want to begin vaccination of stable population, who can be traced easily for administration of three doses for their protection. Students are stable population because they can be accessed,” he said. He said that vaccination was mandatory for all the people regardless of their ages as it safeguarded recipients from the disease. Dr Kalim said that efficacy rate of hepatitis B vaccination was more than 50 per cent.

He said that people were required to be administered three doses. He added that the second dose should be administered after one month and the third one after six months.

Dr Kalim said that they had already started vaccination of medical students. “We have administered vaccine to students of Khyber Girls Medical College and now plan has been finalised to protect the students of Peshawar Medical College against the ailment through vaccines,” he added.

Dr Kalim said that last year, they stared at-birth vaccination of the newborn babies at the labour rooms of the hospitals. “In 2016, we gave vaccine to 97,000 babies and 120,000 in 2017. Newborn babies require a single dose within 24 hours of birth which ensures lifelong protection,” he said.

Dr Kalim said that birth vaccination of newborn was a common practice in developing countries. He said that an extensive research was underway worldwide to seek treatment for B type of the sickness. “Even the baby delivered by hepatitis B-infected woman would stay safe from the ailment through vaccination,” he said, adding that efficacy of birth vaccination ranged from 96 to 100 per cent.

Dr Kalim said that health department had been focusing on the vaccination of people against hepatitis B along with awareness campaigns to scale up public knowledge about causative agents of the disease.

“We have also in the process of vaccination of the health workers, especially those working in blood banks, operation theatres, emergencies and general wards to provide them with safety against hepatitis B,” he said. He added that all the 60,000 health employees were being given free vaccination.

Dr Kalim said that the vaccine had been tested prior to procurements and after purchase to make sure they were safe and effective. He said that hepatitis B vaccination had no side-effects. “Vaccination is very important as there is no treatment for the disease and all the people are vulnerable,” he added.

Published in Dawn, Aprill 13th, 2018