• According to WHO, hepatitis B and C affect 325 million people worldwide in a year

Kathmandu, July 28

Hepatitis can commonly be caused by ingestion of contaminated water or food, unsafe sex and transmission from mother to child. To help raise awareness about hepatitis, World Hepatitis Day is observed every year on July 28. This year, the day was celebrated with the theme ‘Invest in Eliminating Hepatitis’.

Hepatitis is an inflammatory condition of the liver. The condition can be self-limiting or can progress to fibrosis, cirrhosis or liver cancer. There are five main hepatitis viruses, which are referred to as types A, B, C, D and E.

Health practitioners working in the field have warned that hepatitis cases can rise in flood-hit areas. “Hepatitis A and E virus primarily spreads when an uninfected (and unvaccinated) person ingests food or water that is contaminated with the faeces of an infected person.

For people living in flood-hit areas where there is no supply of safe drinking water and food, there is a risk of suffering from hepatitis A and E infection,” said Bikash Jaishi, hepatologist at Bir Hospital.

Safe water supply, food safety, improved sanitation, hand washing and administering hepatitis A vaccine are the most effective ways to combat the disease, he added.

According to World Health Organisation, viral hepatitis B and C affect 325 million people worldwide causing 1.4 million deaths a year. It is the second major killer infectious disease after tuberculosis, and nine times more people are infected with hepatitis than HIV.

According to a report published by Bir Hospital, 40 patients of acute viral hepatitis were admitted in the hospital in the fiscal 2018-2019.

Hepatitis B and C are transmitted via infected needles and unsafe sex. It can also be transmitted from needle stick injury, tattooing, piercing and exposure to infected blood and body fluids. In Nepal, most of the cases of Hepatitis B and C are diagnosed when blood is tested to acquire a health certificate for foreign employment and/or when blood tests are done before any kind of surgery, said Jaishi.

Hepatitis C is mostly found in those who inject drugs. There are also cases of mother to child transmission of the infection. Antiviral medicines can cure hepatitis C infection. There is an availability of vaccine for Hepatitis B.

Hepatitis D virus (HDV) is a virus that requires hepatitis B virus (HBV) for its replication. According to WHO, it is estimated that globally approximately 5 per cent of people with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection are co-infected with HDV, resulting in a total of 15 to 20 million persons infected with HDV worldwide.

Prevention and control of HDV infection requires prevention of HBV transmission through hepatitis B immunisation, blood safety, injection safety, and harm reduction services. Immunisation, timely blood screening and awareness are necessary to combat hepatitis infections.  The government should also give financial assistance to those suffering from hepatitis infections, said Jaishi.