By 2030, governments around the world have resolved to eliminate viral hepatitis. On World Hepatitis Day, observed today, the question looms: are we on track? In 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) observed that “in 2013, viral hepatitis was a leading cause of death worldwide (1.46 million deaths, a toll higher than that from HIV, […]
hepatitis
Infectious disease
India faces the challenge of a range of infectious diseases. While deaths from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are becoming increasingly prevalent, huge numbers of Indians continue to die annually due to infectious disease. This dual burden of disease has the potential to put a substantial amount of stress on an already underfunded and under resourced health […]
Indradhanush 2: Government ramps up vaccination efforts
The Centre will expand its efforts to improve vaccination coverage throughout the country with “Indradhanush 2”, building on existing efforts to achieve ninety percent immunisation coverage against a plethora of infectious diseases. Launched in December 2014, Mission Indradhanush aimed to cover all children up to two years of age and pregnant women with vaccination coverage, […]
Spike in water-borne diseases in Hyderabad
Hyderabad is reporting a spike in water-borne diseases, sparking fears of water contamination. Diarrhoeal disease, viral hepatitis, and typhoid have all been reported in the Telangana state capital. At the time of writing, 16,178 people have fallen ill with diarrhoea and 1,301 are afflicted with typhoid fever. Viral hepatitis, meanwhile, is believed to have affected […]
World Hepatitis Day: What it told India
World Hepatitis Day was observed on Sunday, July 28th. For India, it was an opportunity to remember a major but often overlooked threat to public health. Viral hepatitis – which the World Health Organization classifies as “one of the leading killers worldwide” – affects almost sixty million Indians and kills 1.5 lakh people in the […]
End discrimination against people with hepatitis
Experts have called on the Centre to enact a law to prevent discrimination against those with hepatitis. The calls came at a conference organised by the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) in New Delhi. Speaking at the event, leading gastroenterologist and hepatologist and ILBS director Dr S. K. Sarin stated that “several instances […]
New hope for hepatitis C?
Between twelve and eighteen million Indians are chronically affected with hepatitis C. Could the findings of a recent study herald new lease of life for these patients? Landmark research conducted by a consortium of French universities has shown promising results for the use of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) in treatment of those with hepatitis C. The […]
Kerala: Disease outbreak threat looms as relief work continues
The Union health ministry has pledged its support for those hit by savage floods in Kerala, as fears of disease outbreaks loom. Kerala is battling one of the worst calamities in its history with nature’s fury leaving over 400 dead and lakhs homeless. The effect has also spread over to the neighbouring states of Karnataka […]
What’s the hepatitis burden in India?
Less than one tenth of people infected with hepatitis are aware of it – and fewer than a tenth of those who are aware receive the necessary treatment. These were the grim figures issued by Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh ahead of World Hepatitis Day this year. Dr Singh – the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional […]
Why do just one percent of HBV-positive Indians receive treatment?
Just five countries account for 57 percent of the world’s cases of hepatitis B virus (HBV). India is one of them. Almost 292 million people worldwide have HBV. Of these, just five percent receive the treatment they need. Ninety percent are undiagnosed, according to a study published earlier this year in The Lancet. The study […]