Govt to launch Hepatitis C control programme.

Byline: Fawad Yousafzai

ISLAMABAD -- The government is launching a Hepatitis C virus elimination program as the prevalence of the virus has doubled among Pakistanis in the past ten years affecting more than 10 percent of the population. To combat the high prevalence of Hepatitis C virus, the government is planning to launch a comprehensive Prime Minister's programme for the testing, treatment and elimination of the Hepatitis C, official sources told The Nation here on Sunday.

Hepatitis C is considered a national public health emergency in Pakistan and that's why a comprehensive programme is being launched at the federal level to combat the virus, said the sources. In 2008, Hepatitis C virus was prevalent among 5 percent Pakistanis which has been increased to 10 percent till 2018, said the source. The data shows, that in Pakistan about 21 million out of 210 million population will screen positive, the source added.

Globally Pakistan had the highest prevalence of Hepatitis C following the Egypt, said the source. Several interventions were launched in the past on the federal level for prevention and control of Hepatitis and after the 18th amendment the subject was transferred to the provinces where they had introduce their own program to combat the disease. Common mode of transmission for Hepatitis B, C and D includes improperly screened blood transfusion or blood products, improperly sterilized invasive medical devises, unsafe injection and unsafe sex.

The source said that the foreign contributor to Prime Minister's programme for the elimination of the virus includes the technical assistance from Asian Development Bank, World Bank, US Centers for Disease Control...

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