BHUBANESWAR: With Hepatitis B and C emerging as a major health concern, the state government has announced the two as notifiable diseases. All healthcare facilities have been asked to report both diseases with immediate effect.
In the exercise of powers conferred under the Epidemic Disease Act-1897, the Health and Family Welfare department in a notification directed that all healthcare providers (govt/private/NGO sector) where diagnosis, tests and treatment of patients are undertaken will have to take adequate steps for timely notification of Hepatitis-B and Hepatitis-C.
They will have to mention whether the patients are screened or confirmed in the report to be submitted to the designated authorities - district surveillance officer and state surveillance officer in the reporting format, the notification said. Chronic hepatitis B and C are major public health problems accounting for substantial morbidity, mortality and economic loss.
Health Secretary Shalini Pandit said Hepatitis C is curable if treated on time and Hepatitis B requires lifelong treatment. “Both the diseases, if remain undiagnosed and untreated, can give rise to liver damage and hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer),” she pointed out. Statistics said more than 80 per cent of patients with viral hepatitis are unaware of this. Viral hepatitis is not confined to one place but causes a global epidemic sometimes. There is effective vaccination for hepatitis B by which it can be eradicated.