Hepatitis, a silent killer, with symptoms appearing late

JAIPUR: Hepatitis C is one of the leading causes of liver cirrhosis and cancer. Symptoms of Hepatitis C virus infection appear late, but when a person comes to know about it, the condition of liver is already deteriorated.

According to Rajasthan State Blood Transfusion Council (RSBTC), at least 0.15% persons, who donate blood in the state every year suffer from Hepatitis C and they do not know about it. Likewise, there are 0.5% blood donors, who have Hepatitis B. "Blood banks test blood of donors before giving it to attendants for transfusion among patients. We test blood for Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C because infected blood transfused to a patient could infect him too. We find every year 0.15% blood donated infected with Hepatitis C and 0.5% with Hepatitis B. We destroy such blood after testing," a RSBTC official said.

Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C, both damage liver badly. For Hepatitis B, there is vaccine available in the market but for Hepatitis C, the vaccine is not available. "While some people who get infected with Hepatitis C are able to clear or get rid of the virus, most people who get infected develop a chronic or lifelong infection. Over time, chronic Hepatitis C can lead to serious liver problems including liver damage, cirrhosis, liver failure, or liver cancer. Though there is no vaccination for it but it can be cured in most patients with newer oral drugs," a private hospital's gastroenterologist Dr Ramesh Roop Rai said.

He said people with chronic Hepatitis C can live for decades without symptoms or feeling sick. When symptoms do appear, they often are a sign of advanced liver disease. Symptoms of Hepatitis C can include, fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, clay-coloured stool, joint pain and/or jaundice.

Common routes of Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C infection are blood transfusion, piercing or tattoos with infected needle and vertical infection from mother to infant.

Like Hepatitis C, Hepatitis B is also a silent killer. But, vaccine against Hepatitis B is available. "We administer a Hepatitis B vaccine to an infant at the time of birth. It will prevent the vertical spread of the virus from mother to the baby. Then, we administer the vaccine when the child becomes one-and-a-half-month old, two-and-a-half-month old and three-and-a-half-month old. We are giving it through pentavalent vaccine launched in November last year. In the past seven months (till May), we have administered pentavalent vaccine to more than 20 lakh children," said health department's project director (immunization) Dr RP Jain.


Prevention plan

Symptoms

�Fever, fatigue, headache

�Loss of appetite, nausea, abdominal pain

�Dark urine, clay-coloured stool

People at the risk

�Those who share drug needles with an infected person

�Children of mothers with Hepatitis C

�Those tattooed or pierced with unsterilized tools

�People sharing an infected person's razor or toothbrush