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Doctors
Urge Vaccination Against Hepatitis B and C
Hepatitis
B and C are global health problems. Worldwide 350 million people are carriers
of Hepatitis B. At a reported rate of five percent, the number of Hepatitis
B carriers in Pakistan is estimated at around seven million. Therefore, this
places a great burden on the government and the patients.
Keeping
in view this situation, the Gastroenterology Section of Aga Khan University
Hospital (AKUH) marked the Hepatitis Awareness Day on January 21, 2002, with
a symposium on various aspects of these dreaded diseases and their prevention.
Prof.
Wasim Jafri, Head of the Gastroenterology Section and Acting Chair of the Department
of Medicine, stressed in his lecture the importance of vaccination against Hepatitis
B. He highlighted the fact that Hepatitis B is a global health issue with over
350 million carriers worldwide. "In Pakistan, the carrier rate is reported at
five per cent, which means that out of a population of 140 million, there are
at least 7 million carriers. This produces an enormous burden not only on the
government but also on the patients. Millions of rupees are spent on its treatment,
which stands unsatisfactory with the currently available treatment options.
Keeping this scenario in mind, it is far better to prevent Hepatitis B through
timely vaccination. Hepatitis B can almost completely be prevented by providing
vaccination against the infection very early in life, preferably in the first
week after birth. There is also mother-to-infant transmission of Hepatitis B
which occurs at the time of birth or just after," Dr. Jafri explained.
It
was further stressed that the greatest problem with Hepatitis B is when infection
is acquired very early in life, 95% infants become chronic carriers of Hepatitis
B. If this infection is acquired in the first year of life, it results in chronic
liver disease and hepatocellular cancer in adolescents. However, if the infection
is acquired in adult life, less than 10% of patients become carriers. "Hence,
it is recommended that all newborns are vaccinated against Hepatitis B." "In
adults, the vaccine should be offered to people at high risks, such as health
care workers, phlebotomists, dentists, paramedics and nurses," he said in his
address. He added that the treatment of Hepatitis B available in Pakistan is
at par with the rest of the world.
The
Chief Guest, Dr. Mohammad Khurshid, Medical Director of AKUH and Associate Dean
Clinical Affairs, spoke on the importance of Hepatitis B vaccination and urged
awareness of Hepatitis B at all levels, especially among the general public
so that the current carrier rate of Hepatitis B in Pakistan is reduced.
Dr.
Saeed Hamid, Associate Professor at Gastroenterology Section of AKUH, spoke
on the risk of Hepatitis C posed to health care professionals. He said that
its prevention demands safe blood transfusion, use of disposable needles and
syringes, as well as safe disposal of hospital waste, sterilising surgical and
dental equipment, and all this demands public awareness at all levels.
Dr.
Riaz Qureshi, Chair of Family Medicine, stressed about vaccination in families.
Prof. Gaffar Billoo, Chair of the Paediatrics, spoke on Hepatitis B vaccination
in children. Dr. Hasnain Shah, Associate Professor at Gastroenterology Section,
gave a lecture on the general aspects of Hepatitis C prevention. The programme
was largely attended by internists, general practitioners, family physicians
and health care professionals. The programme concluded after an interactive
discussion between the audience and the expert panel.
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