Chhattisgarh government pushes for Hepatitis-B vaccination

RAIPUR: Health department has appealed to all infants and high-risk individuals to be vaccinated against Hepatitis B as part of the routine immunization programme. Warning against its adverse stage, health officials said that if hepatitis is not treated on time, it causes liver failure or liver cancer.

Under the National Viral Hepatitis Control Program, there is a system of free investigation and treatment of diseases caused by hepatitis infection in the state. There is a facility for its testing with rapid diagnostic kits up to the sub health center level in the state. It is examined and treated free of cost in all district hospitals and hospitals affiliated to government medical colleges.

State Nodal Officer of National Viral Hepatitis Control Program Dr Dharmendra Gawahi said that mainly four viruses A, B, C and E are considered to be the cause of this disease. Of these, hepatitis A and E are less serious and usually short-term infections. In most cases, they get better on their own. It is caused by eating contaminated food or drinking contaminated water. Hepatitis B and C are the more serious types of the virus and cause long-term (chronic) infections of the liver. Infection with the hepatitis B or C virus can cause severe liver damage, which can lead to liver failure from liver cirrhosis and, in some cases, liver cancer.

Dr Gawahi informed that the spread of hepatitis B and C infection is spread through contaminated blood transfer from an infected person. It can be spread from person to person through drug injection and sharing needles, unprotected ear piercing or tattooing, unprotected sex, sharing shaving razors, nail cutters, etc. It can also be transmitted from a pregnant woman to a newborn baby. In most people, hepatitis B or C infection is without symptoms in the early stages. Hence it is recognized late. Late detection of the disease leads to severe liver damage and complications of liver failure. If hepatitis C is detected in the early stages, it can be treated with medicines for three to six months. Hepatitis B virus infection is not completely curable, but it can be effectively treated with the use of medicines. This keeps most patients healthy during their lifetime. All infants and high-risk adults are now vaccinated against hepatitis B. They must be vaccinated to protect them from hepatitis. Unless the infection is diagnosed, monitored and treated, many people can eventually develop serious life-threatening liver disease.

Explaining who should be vaccinated against hepatitis B health official said, all children and adolescents who are under the age of 18 and who have not previously been vaccinated should get the hepatitis B vaccine. People who frequently need blood or blood products, patients on dialysis, recipients of solid organ transplants, and inmates in prisons must get the injection. Health workers and others who may come into contact with blood and blood products in the course of their work should also be vaccinated against hepatitis B.