Unsafe needle practices leading cause of Hepatitis-C Virus infection in India: Doctors

New Delhi: Unsafe injection practices such as reuse, incorrect disposal and poor sterilisation of syringes are increasingly contributing to Hepatitis-C Virus infection in India, doctors have cautioned on the eve of World Hepatitis Day.

The disease, that does not have a vaccine and spreads mainly through unsafe blood transfusion and needles, can be completely cured if detected at an early stage. But prolonged neglect may lead to liver cirrhosis and even cancer, they said.

“Hepatitis-C (HCV) is 10 times more infectious than HIV.

It is asymptomatic, which means it 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,” Dr Manav Wadhawan, a gastroenterologist with the Fortis Escorts Liver and Digestive Diseases Institute, said.

He identified exhaustion, jaundice, abdominal pain, loss of appetite as some of the symptoms of HCV. According to a WHO estimate, around 12 million people are affected by the disease in India.

Dr Siddharth Srivastava, who works with the Department of Gastroenterology in GB Pant Hospital, underscored the need for patients to be vigilant and be aware of safe injection practices like the use of sterile, single-use or preventing reuse of syringes.

“The irony is that Hepatitis-B has a vaccine, but no cure, while hepatitis C has no vaccine, it does have a cure. Laid down WHO safe injection protocols should be followed by healthcare practitioners. Staff should wash their hands before administering injections, and they should clean the area of the injection adequately,” he said.

According to health experts, around 5,00,000 people die each year from hepatitis C-related liver diseases in India and an estimated 4.7 million HCV infections can be attributed to poor needle practices.

Hyderabad, Jul 27 (PTI) India lacks enough clinical research to deal with Hepatitis C, a contagious infection of the liver that affects about 12 million people in the country, according to the Indian Society for Clinical Research (ISCR).

There are five hepatitis viruses: A, B, C, D and E. Of the five, three have no cure, said ISCR President Suneela Thatte.

“Moreover, all types of hepatitis are contagious and some of them can be potentially life-threatening. Yet, despite the alarming statistics, we, as a country, have not undertaken enough clinical research in this area. We need treatment regimens that are short and therapies that are effective, affordable and well-tolerated,” she said.

Most of the estimated 12 million people affected by Hepatitis C do not know they have the disease.

India has 17 per cent of global population and 20 per cent of global disease burden. But less than 1.4 per cent of global clinical trials are done in India, according to ISCR.

“India was never a country that had a very high percentage of trials relative to the trials being done in the rest of the world. Also, it is not our objective to be the No 1 country in the region or globally for doing trials.

“What is important is the trials being done in India are significant enough to address our growing burden disease and the unique healthcare requirements of our country. People living with viral hepatitis have a right to safe, affordable and effective care and treatment,” Thatte said.

Each year, World Hepatitis Day is observed on July 28 to raise global awareness. This year, the theme is ‘elimination’ with ambitious targets by the WHO member-states to curb its spread and eradicate it as a public health threat by 2030.

One of the five core intervention areas of the global strategy is treatment including new, well-tolerated medicines and regimens for people with chronic hepatitis infection.

According to the ISCR, attainment of this goal requires scaling-up clinical research extensively, particularly in India which carries a high burden of hepatitis B and C.

PTI