Pakistan faces uphill battle against ‘silent killer’ hepatitis

Experts warn that Pakistan is a leading country for hepatitis infections, with 10 million to 15 million people suffering from the disease Nationwide Not enough measures were taken to stop the spread.

At the annual meeting of the United Nations Group of Friends on Hepatitis Elimination in New York last week, medical experts called on Pakistan to take urgent steps to step up testing and strengthen cooperation with international health organizations.

Pakistan has expressed its intention to eradicate the disease, which has been dubbed a “silent killer” because in some cases symptoms do not appear for months after initial infection, by 2030.

Saeed Akhtar, a medical expert who represents Pakistan at the United Nations and lives in the United States, said Nationwide Pakistan currently has the largest number of hepatitis patients in the world.

“There are approximately 100 million hepatitis C patients in Pakistan and more than 150 million hepatitis B and C patients,” he said.

Dr Akhtar said Egypt had previously been the country most affected by the disease, but the Egyptian government had successfully tackled the threat and the World Health Organization said the country had virtually eliminated hepatitis C.

He also mentioned that treatment for hepatitis takes three months and costs about 12,500 rupees ($43).

“Its treatment is not expensive, but a major problem in Pakistan is lack of awareness,” said Dr. Akhtar, who is also chairman of the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute and Research Center in Lahore.

“We need to visit educational institutions and other places to raise awareness so that everyone is screened for this disease.

“It’s a silent killer. Someone may have this disease, but they may not even realize it. That’s why proper screening and testing are key to protecting yourself from the disease.”

Tariq Hayat, Project Director, Hepatitis, HIV and Thalassemia Control Project, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Nationwide The prevalence of hepatitis in the province is 5.3%.

“We are carrying out disease prevention work under the auspices of the National Hepatitis Prevention and Control Programme, under which we provide free tests and medicines to patients,” he said.

He added that the government has now begun to address the menace of hepatitis.

A Blood Transfusion Bureau has also been established as part of efforts to prevent the spread of blood-related diseases such as hepatitis.

Hepatitis is a global public health problem with different prevalence rates in different regions. Egypt and Pakistan are two countries that have faced significant challenges in fighting hepatitis in recent years.

Before Pakistan, Egypt had the highest hepatitis C prevalence in the world, with an estimated 10 to 15 percent of the population infected.

The high prevalence has been attributed to past health care practices, including widespread use of contaminated needles and syringes.

According to a study published in the journal, an estimated 11.55% of adults in Pakistan are infected with hepatitis C Tropical Medicine and Health, It states that approximately 1 in 20 Pakistanis are infected with the disease.

The annual global mortality from hepatitis B and hepatitis C is staggering, with 563,000 and 366,000 deaths respectively. The study says international collaboration and sustained public health initiatives are critical to reducing the global prevalence of hepatitis.

Update time: 3:00 am on September 28, 2023