New Delhi. Amid the rapidly increasing cases of Hepatitis A in the National Capital Region Delhi for the last few weeks, doctors of Delhi-based All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) have issued a warning. Doctors of AIIMS Delhi have advised people to avoid consuming contaminated food and contaminated water. Professor Dr. Shalimar of the Department of Gastroenterology of AIIMS told that the number of Hepatitis A cases is increasing in the hospital. Most of the patients are children and people in the age group of 18 to 25.
Dr. Pramod Garg, Head of the Department of Gastroenterology, AIIMS Delhi, said that hepatitis A and E are mainly spread through feces and contaminated drinking water. These are self-restricted infections and no specific anti-viral medicine is required for their treatment. It is necessary to treat it in the beginning itself. He said that a study conducted by the department has shown that both hepatitis A and E together damage the liver rapidly. Both these diseases contribute to 30 percent of liver damage cases. In this situation, the mortality rate is up to 50 percent.
Hepatitis infection destroys the liver, has attacked 4 crore people! Doctors said- this is how to prevent it
Dangerous situation in the country
The theme of World Hepatitis Day this year was – This is Action Time. It emphasizes the urgent need to reduce new hepatitis infections globally, reduce viral hepatitis-related deaths and achieve the goal of global elimination of viral hepatitis by the year 2030. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 10 countries including India account for 66 percent of viral hepatitis B and C cases globally. Dr Pramod Garg of AIIMS Delhi said, ‘India ranks first among the countries with the highest number of viral hepatitis cases and about 12 percent of the world’s viral hepatitis cases are here.’
WHO’s goal
WHO’s goal is to reduce new chronic hepatitis infections by 90 percent and viral hepatitis-related deaths by 65 percent by 2030. In India, the National Viral Hepatitis Control Program is working towards this goal. Dr. Garg said that under this program, all newborns are vaccinated for hepatitis B at birth and medicines for the treatment of hepatitis B and C viruses are given free of cost.
Tags: aiims delhi, Health News, National News
FIRST PUBLISHED : July 30, 2024, 18:24 IST
