India urgently needs a proper hepatitis registry, say doctors

While over five million Indians are infected and around one lakh die every year, due to Hepatitis, a city hospital, conducted an on Monday – at the beginning of World Hepatitis Week July 23 to 28 - to create awareness on this disease, where they stressed on the need for there to be a hepatitis registry.

Stating that there are 325 million people infected worldwide and 1.34 million die every year due to Viral hepatitis (hepatitis B and C, which may not show any symptom for years), Dr Sunitha Sunil, Family Medicine and Preventive (Health) Care specialist, Mehta’s Hospital (which conducted the programme) said, “There needs to be a registry and the state should formulate government-supported prevention and control strategies, which is the most important step towards control of viral hepatitis, which imposes a major healthcare burden in the Indian subcontinent."

"Following a multipronged approach of active screening, adequate treatment, universal vaccination against HBV and educational counselling, can help decrease the burden of liver diseases associated with HBV and HCV infection in India," she added.

The symptoms of hepatitis, regardless of acute or chronic, can show up as fatigue, anorexia, abdominal pain, fever, diarrhoea, vomiting, jaundice, dark urine, and pale clay-coloured stools.

“Hepatitis A (HAV) is spread by FECO-ORAL route due to poor sanitation /habit and is often mild, and most people make a full recovery. Hepatitis B (HBV), on the other hand, can be transmitted when a person has unprotected sexual intercourse with an infected person, shares a needle with an infected person often for illegal drug or steroid use, has a tattoo created with unsterilised needles, is accidentally pricked,” said Dr Illavrasi, Medical Gastroenterologist at the hospital.

On the other hand, Hepatitis C (HCV) can be transmitted through contact with blood and can also cross the placenta. “It usually leads to chronic hepatitis, culminating in cirrhosis in some people. It usually remains asymptomatic for decades. Patients with hepatitis C are susceptible to severe hepatitis if they contract either hepatitis A or B, so all persons with hepatitis C should be immunized against hepatitis A and hepatitis B if they are not already immune and avoid alcohol,” said Dr Yamini Chitra, a hepatobiliary surgeon.

It may be noted that in connection with World Hepatitis Day, free screening camps and awareness talks are going to be held at the hospital till July 28.