By Our Staff Reporter
Rishikesh, 27 Jul: Under the National Viral Hepatitis Programme, the Gastroenterology Department of AIIMS Rishikesh has been designated as the Modern Treatment Centre for Hepatitis by the Government of Uttarakhand.
Providing information about departmental activities on the eve of World Hepatitis Day (28 July), Director of AIIMS, Rishikesh, Professor Ravikant said that, under this programme, doctors and technicians of Uttarakhand have been trained at various levels at the Institute. He said that under this national programme, 250 patients were provided free treatment for Hepatitis-C from November, 2019, to July, 2020, in the Gastroenterology Department of AIIMS. All the facilities of diagnosis and treatment are available for the treatment of liver patients at AIIMS. Patients should take advantage of these facilities.
Dr Rohit Gupta, Head of the Department of Gastroenterology, said that Hepatitis A and E are spread by contaminated water and filth, while the spread of Hepatitis B and C is due to unprotected sex. Apart from this, it is also caused by the exchange of infected blood. Doctor of Community and Family Medicine Department Dr Ajit Singh Bhadoria said that around 26 crore people worldwide have Hepatitis B infection, while 70 million people suffer from Hepatitis-C infection. As many as 40 million people are infected with Hepatitis B in India while 1 crore people are infected with Hepatitis C. He said that the patients of acute hepatitis may have symptoms of jaundice, fever, loss of appetite, vomiting, etc. Some patients may also have liver failure, which is fatal.
In order to prevent the disease, the Government of India started the National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme in the year 2018. Under this, people were being made aware of this disease and informed about the treatment. He stated that a vaccine is available under the National Immunisation Programme for the prevention of Hepatitis B, but there is no vaccine available for Hepatitis C in the world yet.
