Unable to afford treatment, he ended up checking into an outpatient center called Opioid-Assisted Treatment (OOAT). Civil hospital In Ludhiana.Center authorities examined him before giving him medicine hepatitis C and HIV. I tested positive for Hepatitis C.
Rahul is not the only one like this.The data OOAT Center Civil hospital data show that of the 146 heroin users registered at the center between January and the end of August, 105 were injecting drug users (IDU). Of the 105 injecting drug users, 56 (or 53.3%) tested positive for hepatitis C. In addition, 34 of the 105 injecting drug users tested positive for HIV and 11 tested positive for HBsAg (hepatitis B surface antigen).
Monthly data on patients registered at the OOAT center shows that the highest number of IDU users (18) were registered at the center in January and August this year. Of these, 9 people tested positive for hepatitis C virus (HCV) in January and 10 people tested positive in August. Four people tested positive for HIV in January and six people tested positive for HIV in August.
Dr Arvind Goyal, a psychiatrist and addiction expert at a government hospital, said patients who are undergoing treatment for heroin addiction in private centers due to lack of funds Register at the OOAT Center. Here, HCV, HIV and Elisa tests (which check immunity) are done free of charge. Patients who test positive for HCV are tested for viral load and undergo tests such as liver function tests and kidney function tests. Check the status of the liver with Fibroscan.
“We start treatment with the consent of the patient and his family. Treatment is free and antiviral drugs are given after evaluation by medical experts and psychiatrists. In addition to antiviral drugs, immunity-boosting drugs are also given .” said the psychiatrist. He added that some patients end up taking drugs and treatments at the same time, so their viral loads increase and their immunity decreases, leading to health problems.He advises drug addicts to detox or avoid using Shared syringes Protect yourself from infections such as HCV or HIV.
A staff member is Najwan Kendra The Civil Hospital (Drug Rehabilitation) Center said that most of the newly registered patients are men who are also intravenous drug users. Among them, 80% are in the age group of 20 to 40 years old, 5% to 10% are over 50 years old, and 2% to 4% are under 20 years old. Experts say the disease is treatable if caught early. “About 90 per cent of injecting heroin addicts in Punjab test positive for hepatitis C. This is mainly because they inject drugs in groups using the same syringe. If caught on time, the disease is treatable even in addicts . They have to take the medication for three months but must stop taking it. If left untreated, hepatitis C virus can lead to chronic hepatitis and increase the risk of liver cancer,” said Dr. Nirmaljeet Singh Malhi.