The city’s water has a greater chance of getting contaminated due to dirt, animal waste and other chemicals during monsoon, and this gets reflected in the high incidence of water-borne and vector-borne diseases during the season, say doctors in the Capital.
“The shift in climatic conditions demands that people be careful about what they eat and drink. However, more importantly, they need to prevent liver infections. We are seeing a rise in Hepatitis A infections,” says Sunil Bhasin, paediatrician and consultant, Rockland Hospital.
He adds that there has been an increase in the incidence of Hepatitis A among teenagers and adults with severer symptoms that are similar to other viral Hepatitis. According to doctors, there is an urgent need to create awareness about Hepatitis B and C, which are also called silent killer viruses that can creep into the body from minor blood exposures. World Hepatitis Day is observed on July 28.
“Unsafe injections, poorly sterilised implements for surgery, and transfusions with blood and blood products that have not been screened — are all carriers of Hepatitis B and C. These are considered more dangerous than Hepatitis A and E as they have long-term implications and harm the liver,” says Manav Wadhawan, senior consultant gastroenterologist, Fortis Escorts Liver and Digestive Diseases Institute.
Little awareness
He adds that though most people know about the dangers that HIV posed, few know about Hepatitis B, where the virus is transmitted through blood and other body fluids, much like HIV.
“Hepatitis C, unlike the B virus [along with Hepatitis A], does not have a vaccine. Hepatitis C is also 10 times more infectious than HIV. Worse, Hepatitis C does not exhibit any obvious symptoms of sickness in its initial stages. If it does, it can be easily diagnosed with a blood test and treated. Exhaustion, jaundice, abdominal pain and loss of appetite are all symptoms of this viral infection, much like any other viral infection,” he says.
Siddharth Srivastava, Associate Professor Gastroenterology, G.B. Pant Hospital, says patients, too, need to remain vigilant and know about safe injection practices like use of sterile and single-use syringes, and prevention of syringe reuse.
Advice for staff
“Staff should wash their hands before administering the injection and clean the area of injection administration adequately. They should definitely not touch the injection with their hands. This year’s call for eradication of Hepatitis by 2030 can be partially achieved if these simple practices are followed.”
Currently, about 400 million people around the world are living with viral Hepatitis, a liver disease responsible for the death of more people than that caused by HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis. Every year, about 1.4 million die of Hepatitis, a figure that is shocking because hepatitis can be prevented.
“People chronically infected with Hepatitis C are more likely to harbour abnormal fat and calcium plaque inside their arteries. This is known as atherosclerosis, a precursor to heart attacks and strokes,” said K.K. Aggarwal, the honorary secretary-general of the Indian Medical Association.
