On the occasion of World Hepatitis Day 2014, ILBS in partnership with the WHO Country Office for India organised first ever consultation meeting on viral hepatitis. National experts together with stakeholders from the government, academia, clinicians, public health experts, civil society, research institutions and partner agencies discussed on the theme, ‘Think Again’.
Dr Nata Menabde, WHO Representative to India said “Hepatitis is a critical global public health problem even though it remains neglected. The situation in India is equally worrying. Ignorance of viral hepatitis is not an option. India needs reliable information on the burden of viral hepatitis for building prevention and control measures.” On this World Hepatitis Day, Dr Nata called upon all partners and stakeholders to make the ‘silent’ epidemic of viral hepatitis more visible and more manageable. It is recommended that the national strategy for viral hepatitis in India address health systems strengthening and synergies between viral hepatitis and other programmes.”
Shri Lov Verma, Secretary Department of Health and Family Welfare, GoI informed the setting up of 10 regional laboratories by National communicable disease centre (NCDC) for viral hepatitis surveillance. The laboratories will work to find the burden of Viral hepatitis in India by 2017 and to provide lab support for investigating outbreaks. Dr V K Subburaj, Secretary DAC (health and Family Welfare) said there is a need for coordination amongst various agencies to eradicate Viral Hepatitis. There is a need to focus on preventive aspects rather then treatment of Viral Hepatitis given the limited health resources in India.
Dr Jagdish Prasad, DGHS GOI, stressed the co-operation between different government agencies, academia and stakeholders. He felt that the role of media in spreading awareness was vital. This was folowed by vote of thanks by Dr Vasantha Kumar, additional Secretary (Health & Family Welfare).
Director ILBS Prof Shiv Sarin discussed the magnitude of the problem of Viral hepatitis in India. Hepatitis B and C are both blood borne and can be transmitted from man to man. Hepatitis B is responsible for 1.4 million deaths every year (compared to 1.5 million deaths from HIV/AIDS and 1.2 million from each of malaria and TB). India has over 40 million hepatitis B infected patients (second only to China) and constitutes about 15 percent of the entire pool of hepatitis B in the world. Tribal areas in India have high prevalence of hepatitis B. Every year, nearly 600,000 patients die from HBV infection in the Indian continent. Chronic Hepatitis B infection accounts for about 30 percent of liver cirrhosis and 40-50 percent of liver cancers in India. Outbreaks of acute and fulminant hepatitis B still occur mainly due to inadequately sterilized needles and syringes. He further added that Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) is mandated to work on the prevention and management of Viral Hepatitis in India and is committed towards making India Hepatitis Free by 2080.
Various experts discussed the gaps, challenges and priorities as regards to Prevention, Screening, Care and Treatment of Viral Hepatitis in India. The conference identified the following priority areas 1) Need to generate data on the magnitude of the burden of Viral Hepatitis in India 2) Identify high risk and priority population 3) Improve coverage birth dose vaccination as well as all dose coverage of HBV vaccine 4) Improve Injection safety and spread knowledge of safe injection among health care workers 5) Screening of High risk groups 6) Improving the access to treatment and availability as well as affordability of the drugs for HBV and HCV 7) Improve sanitation and safe drinking water for prevention of HAV and HEV 8) Vaccination HAV in the selected group 9) Vaccination for HEV may be available soon.
EH News Bureau
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