‘Bihar has over 50 lakh hepatitis patients’

PATNA: Bihar has more than 50 lakh patients of hepatitis that claims approximately 15 lakh lives across the world every year.

Revealing this figure on the occasion of World Hepatitis Day on Wednesday, Dr Dineshwar Prasad, the principal of Government Ayurvedic College and Hospital (GACH), claimed that 5 out of every 100 people suffered from the disease in Bihar.

“Hepatitis, which may happen due to consumption of alcohol, epilepsy drugs, and AIDS or TB medicines, can be deadly in case of late detection. It has four types — hepatitis A, B, C and E,” Dr Dineshwar said and added, “This year’s theme is ‘Hepatitis can’t wait’, which conveys the urgency of efforts needed to eliminate hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030.”

Dr Santosh Kumar Vishwakarma, Dr Sunita Pandey and Dr Punam Kumari of GACH laid stress on conducting intensive tests on pregnant women for detecting hepatitis and inoculating newborns on time. “There are certain Ayurvedic medicines, which can safely treat a hepatitis patient. They purify the blood and strengthen the liver,” they suggested.