GH authorities launch vaccine mission against silent killer virus
Hepatitis refers to any inflammation that affects the liver cells and the most commonly known is viral hepatitis where virus affects the liver cells. They are A, B, C,D & E.
Chennai: In an effort that could go a long way in ensuring a Hepatitis B infection-free Tamil Nadu, authorities at the Government Stanley Medical College and Hospital here have launched an ambitious programme to vaccinate college students against the dreaded silent killer virus.
In the first phase about 4,350 students — mostly women, in the city will be vaccinated. The aim is to cover all government colleges and schools in a phased manner and then take the programme to the next level of including the students studying in private institutions.
“This is a Herculean task, which requires continuous funding. We have about 13,000 vials stocked to vaccinate about 4,350 students of Bharathi Women’s College giving three shots to each student with one month gap between the first two shots and five months interval between the second and third vaccination,” says Dr A.R. Venkateswaram, prof and head, department of medical gastroenterology, GSH.
A four-year (January 2010-December 2013) study on the Seroprevalence of hepatitis B virus among patients attending Chennai Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, Tiruchy, to provide a baseline data on the prevalence of Hepatitis B among the patients found that out of out of 19,513 patients screened, 315 were sero-positive cases and males accounted
for 230 while 85 were females. Among the positive cases, a majority were in the age group of 21 to 40 years.
“We have decided to target women in the first phase as many get married early. Early detection can contribute substantially to the timely diagnosis and treatment of the patients with acute illnesses, thus limiting the transmission of the infection. All the students are thoroughly screened for HBV before vaccinating,” Dr Venkateswaran said and added that those who have been vaccinated would be excluded from this programme.
The college adopted by the GSH where Dr Issac Christian Moses, Dean, Stanley Medical College hospital, had launched the vaccination programme at the Bharathi Women’s College on the eve of World Hepatitis Day, falls in north Chennai where the health levels are not up to the mark.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
Next Story
