Hepatitis “C” and “B” are the most dangerous, Pakistan is among the five countries where these two viruses are most common, according to the World Health Organization.
Dawn Medical Reporter + Dawn TV
London: The highest number of hepatitis C patients in the world is in Pakistan, whose number is 12.6 million. According to the latest report of the World Health Organization, the highest number of hepatitis C patients in the world are in Pakistan, whose number is 88 lakhs. With the inclusion of 3.8 lakh victims of hepatitis B, this number stands at 1.26 lakh.
According to the World Health Organization, among the different types of hepatitis, “C” and “B” are the most dangerous and Pakistan is among the five countries where these two viruses are most prevalent.
However, there is no reliable data available to clarify how many Pakistanis die every year due to different types of hepatitis. Various estimates and unofficial reports put the number in the millions.
According to a research report published in the National Library of Medicine titled “Hepatitis is Still a Major Health Concern: Short Communication”, “From 2015 to 2019, deaths due to hepatitis C and hepatitis B in Pakistan.” There has been an increase of five and eight percent respectively. During these four years, only about 350,000 patients were screened out of which only 163,000 approached different hospitals for treatment.”
According to this study, WHO’s minimum target is that 90% of newborns in every country should be vaccinated against hepatitis B. But “in Pakistan during 2020, this rate was only 77 percent.”
According to a recent study published in Tropical Medicine and Health, “National Registry in Pakistan: Need for Hepatitis Control”, to eliminate hepatitis by 2030, Pakistan will have to “perform 188 million tests annually and 11 Lakhs of people will have to be treated.”
