<p>Neha (name changed), a 17-year-old girl from Punjab, was horrified when she was diagnosed for hepatitis B after undertaking a blood test for a dental problem. <br /><br /></p>.<p>A fresh college student, little could she apprehend that a minor cold and cough injection that she took two years ago could become fatal. She had been a victim of a potentially dangerous liver infection and an established carrier of a life threatening disease. <br /><br />Neha is not an isolated case. Millions of people in India haplessly encounter hepatitis infections in their everyday lives unknowingly.<br /><br />hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver, most commonly caused by a viral infection. “There is no data available on syringe infection being the cause for spread of hepatitis. But we know it is fairly large,” said Dr Ashish Bhanot, gastro surgeon, Fortis Healthcare.<br /><br />A door-to-door survey was conducted by Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS), Rohtak in February-March 2012, in Ratia town, Haryana as the number of hepatitis C cases was assuming alarming proportions. The survey found 1,503 persons infected with hepatitis C virus – an outbreak blamed primarily on the reuse of syringes and needles by doctors and dentists. <br /><br />“There is another problem too. Disposable syringes have existed for long. But they are recycled and packed again. Even expert doctors cannot figure them out,” said Bhanot.<br /><br />He said the new disposable syringes in the market should be promoted to solve this problem. “These are auto-disposables. They dispose off on their own after being used once,” he said.<br /><br />The new syringe costs Rs 20 to 30 more than the older lot, but are more safe. <br />“Spending this little amount extra, we can save a large number of severe liver infections which cost the government and the society dear,” he said. <br /> <br />Virus undetected<br /><br />The worst nightmare attached with hepatitis is that the virus can go undetected for 20 to 30 years before any symptom can be detected. Most of those who are chronically infected with viral hepatitis are unaware of their infection. <br /><br />Approximately one in 12 persons worldwide, or some 500 million people, are living with chronic viral hepatitis. Twelve million people in India are chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV).<br /><br />Chronic hepatitis B and chronic hepatitis C together cause approximately 80 per cent of the world’s liver cancers and have contributed to the increase in rates of liver cancer in recent decades.<br /></p>
<p>Neha (name changed), a 17-year-old girl from Punjab, was horrified when she was diagnosed for hepatitis B after undertaking a blood test for a dental problem. <br /><br /></p>.<p>A fresh college student, little could she apprehend that a minor cold and cough injection that she took two years ago could become fatal. She had been a victim of a potentially dangerous liver infection and an established carrier of a life threatening disease. <br /><br />Neha is not an isolated case. Millions of people in India haplessly encounter hepatitis infections in their everyday lives unknowingly.<br /><br />hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver, most commonly caused by a viral infection. “There is no data available on syringe infection being the cause for spread of hepatitis. But we know it is fairly large,” said Dr Ashish Bhanot, gastro surgeon, Fortis Healthcare.<br /><br />A door-to-door survey was conducted by Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS), Rohtak in February-March 2012, in Ratia town, Haryana as the number of hepatitis C cases was assuming alarming proportions. The survey found 1,503 persons infected with hepatitis C virus – an outbreak blamed primarily on the reuse of syringes and needles by doctors and dentists. <br /><br />“There is another problem too. Disposable syringes have existed for long. But they are recycled and packed again. Even expert doctors cannot figure them out,” said Bhanot.<br /><br />He said the new disposable syringes in the market should be promoted to solve this problem. “These are auto-disposables. They dispose off on their own after being used once,” he said.<br /><br />The new syringe costs Rs 20 to 30 more than the older lot, but are more safe. <br />“Spending this little amount extra, we can save a large number of severe liver infections which cost the government and the society dear,” he said. <br /> <br />Virus undetected<br /><br />The worst nightmare attached with hepatitis is that the virus can go undetected for 20 to 30 years before any symptom can be detected. Most of those who are chronically infected with viral hepatitis are unaware of their infection. <br /><br />Approximately one in 12 persons worldwide, or some 500 million people, are living with chronic viral hepatitis. Twelve million people in India are chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV).<br /><br />Chronic hepatitis B and chronic hepatitis C together cause approximately 80 per cent of the world’s liver cancers and have contributed to the increase in rates of liver cancer in recent decades.<br /></p>
