NAWABSHAH, June 6: Sindh Health and Population Welfare Minister Ahsan Ahmed inaugurated the hepatitis-B vaccination campaign at Sheen Park here on Wednesday.

The minister said that hepatitis-B was a deadly disease which killed 1.1 million people per year. He said there were 5.6 million hepatitis-B carriers in Pakistan. He said Pakistan had started hepatitis-B vaccination for infants with the help of Global Alliance of Vaccine Initiative.

He said that most chronic infection resulted from prenatal and early childhood transmission of hepatitis-B.

He said the healthcare infrastructure required to vaccinate infants already existed.

The minister said the vaccine was an expensive commodity so it should be used with utmost care to prevent pilferage. He said random vaccination to adults would not give the desired immunity and would not reduce the carrier rate.

He requested the parents to come forward for immunization six weeks, 10 weeks and 14 weeks after the child’s birth.

District Nazim Faryal Talpur said such anti-hepatitis vaccine had been made available at hospitals and health outlets.

DOCTOR KIDNAPPED: A doctor was kidnapped by armed men near Chanesar on Qazi Ahmed-Nawabshah road on Thursday.

Doctor Sanwal Kumar was going to his clinic at Qazi Ahmed from Nawabshah in his Suzuki Mehran (ADH-041) when another vehicle chased him and unidentified armed men stopped his car near chanesar. They dragged him out and took him away leaving his car.

Brother of hostage, Dilip Kumar, said he had no enmity with any one.