http://www.thenews. com.pk/daily_ detail.asp? id=186029

High rate of prevalence of hepatitis in Pakistan is mainly because of less
effective awareness campaigns
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Muhammad Qasim

Rawalpindi
A total of 7.4 per cent Pakistanis population is infected with hepatitis of
which 2.6 per cent are infected with hepatitis B while 4.7 per cent with
hepatitis C. Estimated cost of universal treatment of 11.34 million patients of
hepatitis in Pakistan amounts to more than Rs250 billion.
The high rate of prevalence of hepatitis in Pakistan is mainly because of less
effective awareness campaigns run in the past and poor preventive measures
adopted by our population. It is more alarming keeping the fact in mind that
hepatitis is a curable disease and prevention from it is possible.
Professor of Medicine at Rawalpindi Medical College and President-elect Pakistan
Society of Hepatology Dr. Mohammad Umar expressed this while speaking at a
seminar on hepatitis held here in a local hotel Wednesday.
Mir Khalil-ur-Rahman Memorial Society (MKRMS) organised the seminar in
collaboration with Pakistan Society of Hepatology and Pakistan Society of
Gastroenterology, with main objective of creating awareness among public about
treatment and prevention of hepatitis. The seminar was fourth of a series
organised on the subject by MKRMS.
In the seminar, Dr. Umar, Professor Dr. Hamamatul Bushra Khar of RMC, General
(r) Tasawwar Hussain, Professor Tashfeen Alam of Pakistan Institute of Medical
Sciences and Professor Saleem Qureshi elaborated different aspects of hepatitis
A, E, B and C and their complications.
Dr. Umar said that hepatitis, a disease known to mankind since 500 BC, could be
divided into two groups, hepatitis A & E and hepatitis B & C. “Hepatitis A & E
are mainly caused by consumption of unhygienic food and unsafe drinking water
while spread of hepatitis B & C is nothing to do with foodstuff,” he said.
He added that the spread of hepatitis A & E could easily be checked by creating
awareness among public on consumption of clean drinking water and hygienic food.
“Use of cut fruits from open markets, locally prepared ‘sharbats’, milk
and milk products on sale in unhygienic conditions and foodstuff from vendors
should be avoided not only to prevent hepatitis A & E but also to prevent
gastroenteritis.”
He said that safe drinking water is a must to avoid hepatitis. “Boiling of
water for drinking every time costs much, so we should adopt scientific rather
simple methods to make water germs free. You should add 100 grams of bleaching
powder to one litre of water and boil it. After boiling, store the concentrate
(boiled one) in a clean jar, and each time, add only three spoonfuls of the
concentrate in 10 litres of water to make it purified. Three spoons of
concentrate make 10 litre of water safe to drink without any further boiling,”
he explained the way of purifying drinking water without boiling each time.
Talking on causes of spread of hepatitis B & C, he said use of used syringes,
unsafe sexual relations, unscreened blood transfusions, shaving with
contaminated razor, tattooing, contaminated instruments of ‘footpath
dentists’, unsafe intravenous infusions, wastes in hospitals’ wards and
improper blood sample collection are among major factors contributing to spread
of the disease. “I believe that by adopting simple preventive measures, we can
control the spread of the disease,” he said.
He said that his team has developed a website — www.rawalianresearc h.org —
for providing guidelines not only to patients but also to junior doctors who
should be much careful while advising medication to patients. “Culture of
unnecessary medication, use of injection and blood transfusion should be
eliminated.”
While speaking on the occasion, Dr. Bushra Khar supported Dr. Umar’s point of
view on prevention and control of hepatitis in Pakistan. “Prevention and
control on a disease having more than seven per cent occurrence among population
is responsibility of the state yet without creating awareness among public the
problem could not be eliminated.”
She said that in Pakistan, the contamination increased with increase in
population. “Without controlling population, the problem could not be resolved
as we have meagre resources available in Pakistan.” She added that prevention
from hepatitis B is 100 per cent possible through administration of hepatitis B
vaccine that costs not more than Rs600.
General (r) Tasawwar Hussain while speaking to audience, however, presented a
new concept saying that the occurrence of hepatitis B & C has increased with the
increase in number of healthcare facilities across Pakistan. “It convinced me
to believe that unnecessary or unsafe pricking at the healthcare facilities is
one of the major causes of spread of hepatitis in Pakistan and it should be
discouraged religiously by medical professionals.”
Studies reveal that Pakistan is at number two around the globe where population
has maximum number of unnecessary injections. After the lectures from experts,
questions and answers session was held.


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