• While new drugs are available to cure Hepatitis C, more government initiatives are required to create awareness As we observe World Hepatitis Day, Dr Hotoka Hesso, SMO ART Plus Centre, Dimapur, while underlining the growing burden of Hepatitis C in the region, also calls for government intervention in making the treatment and drugs more accessible to people. “In recent times, we have recorded a rise in the prevalence of hepatitis C in our region. Currently, it is nearly 1.6% of the population. Till date, we have received 36 patients infected with Hepatitis C. Of them while 20 patients were infected with Genotype 3, 9 were infected with Genotype 1. Remaining 7 were infected with Genotype 6. The growing rate has raised an alarm and it has become important to take substantial steps to curb the rising incidence. In doing so, it is important for the government to introduce more initiatives and programs to make the treatment and drugs available to the people,” says Dr Hotoka Hesso. Hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus. In most infected areas in the country, it is primarily caused by blood transfusions with unscreened blood, surgical procedures that follow unsafe practices, and the use of unsterile needles by intravenous drug users and even diabetics. Secondary causes include sharing personal-care items such as toothbrushes and razors with a person infected with the virus. It also may get transmitted through unprotected sex. Aggravating the threat is the fact that unlike hepatitis A and B, there is no vaccine yet to prevent hepatitis C, which can lead to chronic liver disease, even liver cancer. “Hepatitis C is certainly emerging as new health threat in India. In Nagaland, we have being seeing the rise over a decade. No one reason stands out. Many factors, such as the use of unsterilized needles, unsafe methods of surgery and even blood transfusions together contribute to the rise in burden. Hepatitis C is dangerous because while it is asymptomatic in nature, it tends to remain silent inside the body. The symptoms are generally visible once the infection has reached chronic stage. Chronic Hepatitis C has the potential to cause severe damage such as liver cirrhosis and liver cancer,” adds Dr Hotoka. Although, hepatitis C today has become curable, the lack of awareness has made the situation worse. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 5,00,000 people die each year from hepatitis C-related liver diseases. “The availability of generic drugs has made the disease curable. Hepatitis C needs a similar kind of awareness and education like was done to minimize HIV incidences in the country. People need to be educated regarding the causes and prevention of the disease. People should be encouraged to go for regular screenings and health checkups for early diagnosis of the disease, especially since newer treatments are pocket-friendly, are of shorter duration and can be taken as oral medication that have few side effects,” suggests Dr Hotoka. What is Hepatitis? Hepatitis (HEP-ah-TY-tis) or inflammation of liver is of five kinds- A, B, C, D, and E. Hepatitis A and E virus is transmitted through contaminated water and food, while Hepatitis B and C are communicated through blood and body secretions. The initial symptoms of the infection resemble that of common flu. While hepatitis A is the most common form of hepatitis, hepatitis B and C are the deadliest. Prevalence of Hepatitis B is 3-5% while hepatitis C is 1 % in general population in India. It is important to stress that hepatitis infections can be prevented. Prevention of hepatitis B & C involves practices to prevent contact with infected blood or semen. Using condoms, strictly avoiding sharing of needles or razors, and making sure tattooing or body piercing is done using clean tools. For further information, Dr Hotoka Hesso can be contacted at 9436609933