Islamabad: Hepatitis C for the first time is nearing the position of becoming the deadliest infectious disease worldwide surpassing Hepatitis B.
Hepatitis B and C viruses are causing almost equal fatalities now.
According to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2022, there were 1.3 million deaths due to Hepatitis B and C combined.
The report warned that if measures are not taken by 2040, deaths from Hepatitis C alone would surpass those from Hepatitis B, HIV and malaria combined.
Experts revealed that the Hepatitis virus spreads through blood often overlooked by global medical experts. During the establishment of global funds against HIV, Hepatitis burden was ignored.
They noted that in the past decade, there has been an increase in Hepatitis cases in low-income countries due to the lack of resources for virus control.
Hepatitis C cases have appeared in two-thirds of low-income countries.
These countries include Pakistan, Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, the Philippines, Russia and Vietnam.
However, now the virus is spreading rapidly even in developed countries.
Worldwide, 83% of deaths from Hepatitis are caused by Hepatitis B while 17% are due to Hepatitis C.
Symptoms of Hepatitis include fatigue, jaundice and nausea although in most cases symptoms do not appear and the disease is diagnosed at a later stage.
The main cause of the virus’s spread is the transmission of infected blood contaminated syringes and equipment. Hepatitis B can also be transmitted from mother to child.
A vaccine is available for Hepatitis B prevention but most countries do not have access to it.
Treatment is also available for Hepatitis B and C but most people do not have access to it.
