Why Hepatitis B needs prompt attention

Of all the major communicable diseases that has affected majority of Indians over the past few decades, Hepatitis B is one of the leading causes.
Why Hepatitis B needs prompt attention

BENGALURU: Of all the major communicable diseases that has affected majority of Indians over the past few decades, Hepatitis B is one of the leading causes. At 40 million population, India has the maximum number of people infected with the Hepatitis B Virus (HBV), next only to China. 
It is a highly contagious virus that can spread among people within no time, resulting in the severity of the infection. Today, even with the affordable vaccination available, India continues to struggle to bring the rate of infected people under control, most of which is attributed to the lack of awareness among them.
Hepatitis B is a blood-borne virus which is transmissible in nature. Although there are treatments available for HBV, early detection of the infection helps in curing this condition within time. Ahead of World Hepatitis Day on July 28, some reasons that lead to spreading of this virus include:

■ Transfusion of unscreened blood, unsafe surgical procedures and medical practices like the use of unsterilised needles and equipment
■ Beauty procedures like pedicure, manicure where unsterilised nail filers and other tools are used increases the risk of spreading the infection
■ Unsafe needles used by the intravenous drug users
■ Unprotected sex with an infected person
■ Mother-to-child transfer during pregnancy and/or at the time of delivery  

According to a report by WHO (2017), hepatitis claims close to one-and-a-half million lives each year, and Hepatitis B, out of all the viruses leads the pack. It claims nearly 6,00,000 lives every year in India. The National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) found in a study that the prevalence is especially high among the tribal and rural population in India, with almost 65 per cent of the population being infected. Unhygienic living conditions, illiteracy and poor healthcare resources contribute to the increase in Hepatitis B cases in the country.

In most cases, there are no symptoms of this disease until late when it can present as jaundice, dark urine, abdominal pain and end stage liver disease (Cirrhosis). In India, HBV is the most common cause of liver cancer The author is senior consultant-hepatology and transplantation, BR Life SSNMC Hospital

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