Hyderabad: Sharing razors, toothbrushes etc. by students in hostels is one of the major reasons for the spread of Hepatitis B among them, said city doctors ahead of World Hepatitis Day to be observed on July 28.
Most patients are unaware of the infection and get to know only when they are screened in hospitals for blood donations or during pre-employment check ups.
Gastroenterology out-patient departments see at least 10 to 15 new cases every week in city hospitals. In a recent survey by WHO, it was found that four crore Indians were suffering from the disease and most were not aware of it.
Dr Mithun Sharma, consultant gastroenterologist at Asian Institute of Gastroenterology said, “The Hepatitis B surface antigen, which is used in screening, appears in the serum after two to 10 weeks of exposure. Screening during this period gives negative results. For this reason the precision of the screening test is 80 per cent. Confirmatory test can’t be done on every one as it is very sensitive and is opted for when there is even a small load of virus picked up.”
During studies carried out in united AP, it had been found that children who went to over-crowded schools contracted the virus due to contact with bruises while playing together. And for this reason, experts strongly advocate for Hepatitis B vaccine in childhood.
While awareness is created for the virus, there is a strong need to ensure that vaccination coverage reaches at least 90 per cent of the population, both in children and adults.
Similarly, Hepatitis C is dangerous for both adults and children but the severity is worse in children. There is no vaccination for Hep C and the disease does not exhibit any symptoms.
Dr Anupam Sibal, medical director at Apollo Hospitals said, “Hepatitis C is also caused in children through vertical transmission at the time of birth. In some cases, there is spontaneous clearance of the virus by the body till the child is two years. But in 80 per cent of the cases this does not happen and it requires a battery of tests to confirm the presence of the virus. Also the treatment for Hepatitis C affects the patient’s immune system hence careful examination is needed.”
