15 million people infected with Hepatitis B and C in Pakistan

Pakistan is seeking to curb the huge burden of hepatitis B and C

By Nasir Aijaza
AsiaN Correspondent

Islamabad: An estimated 15 million people are currently infected with hepatitis B (five million) and C (10 million) in Pakistan, which has the highest therapeutic use of injection worldwide and ranked second in the prevalence of hepatitis C infection.

Dr. Wasim Jafri, a senior gastroenterologist at the Aga Khan University Hospital, shared the information at a seminar organized at Karachi University.

Addressing the seminar titled ‘Strategies for Eliminating Viral Hepatitis from Pakistan’ the expert said all five hepatitis viruses were common here, making the disease endemic to the country.

“There is no vaccine available for hepatitis C while hepatitis B can be prevented by the use of a vaccine which is safe and effective.”

However, and in order to deal with this huge disease burden, Pakistan is working on an ambitious plan to eliminate viral hepatitis B and C infections in the country by 2030.

The plan reportedly aims to provide leadership and coordination to provincial programs in scaling up hepatitis prevention, testing and treatment services.