Welfare Minister P Rajavelu inaugurated a hepatitis screening and medical camp, organised as part of the World Hepatitis Day on Sunday.
This year’s theme for the World Hepatitis Day was “This is Hepatitis. Know it. Confront it.”
According to a report, hepatitis remains largely unknown as a health threat across the globe. Approximately, four in 100 Indians are infected with Hepatitis B and one in 100 Indians are infected with Hepatitis C. It is estimated that both the forms affect about 2.5 to 3 crore Indians.
Dr Olithselvan, a senior consultant in Hepatology and liver transplantation, Global Health City, said the event was organised to create awareness among the masses about the infectious disease.
He said the disease can be treated if detected early, but it becomes complicated when situations like liver failure from cirrhosis occur.
The Hepatitis B virus is transmitted mainly through body fluids. Some routes of transmissions are: From infected mother to child; through transfusion of infected blood, multiple use of contaminated and unsterilised needles, transmission through sexual contacts. The mode of transmission of Hepatitis C is the same as Hepatitis B.
Hepatitis, like diabetes, is a silent killer. Most of the people do not develop symptoms on being infected until they develop liver disease. The number of people dead due to Hepatitis B and C viruses is more compared to HIV or TB.