Hepatitis in India: A stopped disease still claims life
Decades later, while we have achieved vaccines, better hygiene practices and public health campaigns, Hepatitis is killing thousands of people annually in India.
In short
- Hepatitis contains five viruses that cause diverse liver diseases
- India reports less prevalent but millions of people remain infected inadvertently
- Hepatitis A and E cases increase rapidly in the monsoon season
After its first start in India in the 1950s, Hepatitis remains one of the most frequent diseases, refusing to quit quietly. Subsequently, it spreads through most contaminated water and poor hygiene, giving rise to periodic outbreaks of Hepatitis A and E.
Decades later, while we have achieved vaccines, better hygiene practices and public health campaigns, Hepatitis is killing thousands of people annually in India. Villains may develop, but the problem is fundamentally the same: mute proliferation, poor awareness and late action.
Five faces of hepatitis
Before diving into the unique challenges of India, it is important to understand that hepatitis is not a disease, but a family of five viruses – A, B, C, D, and E. Each affects a liver but in different ways:
Hepatitis A and E: Spread through contaminated food and water, these forms usually cause acute infection, and are more common in areas with poor hygiene. Hepatitis E is particularly dangerous in pregnant women.
Hepatitis B and C: Transmitted through blood and physiological fluids, they can leave chronic liver disease, cirrhosis and liver cancer untreated.
Hepatitis D: Already occurs in people infected with Hepatitis B, adding another layer of complexity.
While hepatitis A and E are short -term diseases that do not become chronic, Hepatitis B and Sea are long -lasting infections that can harm the liver for decades, it has often been too late.
A low-east country with a high burden
According to the 2023 HIV Sentry Monitoring Plus report, the national seropravelin for Hepatitis B is about 0.85% and 0.29% for Hepatitis C. It technically keeps India in the “low prevalence” category (less than 2%) according to the World Health Organization (WHO) standards.
But these small percentage translate to millions of infected individuals, many of whom are completely unaware of their position.
Director of Gastroenterology at Sarvodaya Hospital in Faridabad. As Kapil Sharma, “Many people do not know that they are not infected until they experience complications like liver damage or cancer. It is too late.”
Spike that returns every monsoon
Monsoon is not just a season in India, it is a public health alarm. Hospitals report a boom in cases of acute viral hepatitis, especially associated with hepatitis A and E, stable water, flood drains and contaminated food.
This year, the Chairman of the Lever Transplantation Society of India (LTSI)-the election Dr. In the last three weeks, cases of viral hepatitis alone have increased by 40% in the last three weeks at the BLK-Max Hospital in Delhi, Abdeep Chaudhary and Vice President, HPB and Liver Transplantation.
Dr. Chaudhary said, “Many patients are unaware of the need for hepatitis vaccination, especially from rural to urban settlements,” Dr. Chaudhary said.
Even children are affected. Hepatitis A is highly prevalent in children under the age of 15, while hepatitis E is a major cause of waterborne hepatitis, especially malignant for pregnant women.
Actual cost of delay
Symptoms of hepatitis often begin subtle: fatigue, light jaundice, loss of appetite.
But as the President of LTSI, Dr. Sanjeev Siggle has warned, “We are watching a seasonal epidemic that repeats every year, and still we are caught by the guard every time.” In some cases, acute hepatitis A or E can cause a liver failure, requiring immediate transplantation.
“There is a dangerous myth that jaundice is self-limited,” Dr. Chaudhary says. “Delayed diagnosis can cause life-threatening complications. Despite being a public health challenge, this infection is understood less and poorly.”
Hepatitis is still one of the biggest reasons, the interval in early detection is zero. Dr. Sharma says that in India:
- Regular screening is rare, especially in rural and semi-urban areas.
- The stigma around the liver disease discourages people with timely care.
- Medical infrastructure is spread, which lacks trained personnel to detect early symptoms.
- The cost of treatment, especially for Hepatitis C, can be prohibited for many families.
Even though the vaccines are present, the coverage is Pachi. Many people do not meet full course or are unaware that they are at risk in the first place.
Unsecured medical practices fuel the fire
Unsufficient injections, unwanted dental appliances, and informal clinics using suspicious methods are the major transmission routes for Hepatitis B and C.
Dr. “The small healthcare setup has a lot of infections due to unprotected blood transfusion and contaminated medical devices,” says Sharma. While urban hospitals are more likely to follow the safety protocols, rural clinics often work with minimal inspection.
For Hepatitis A and E, these are the basics – safe drinking water and hygiene – which remain elusive in many parts of the country. For example, Kerala faces the annual outbreak of Hepatitis A.
Dr. E. According to Srikumar, the Director of the Institute of Advanced Virology, floods and irregular rains have spoiled the reach of clean water in recent years.
Challenges in public awareness and what should change
Despite the recurring outbreaks, the public understanding of hepatitis is less than a shock.
“Most people cannot differentiate between the types of hepatitis or identify symptoms,” Dr. Sharma says. This lack of awareness is especially clarified in slum areas and among migrant workers, where the use of clean water and healthcare is already limited.
According to experts, several steps can help prevent hepatitis tide in India:
- Integrate Hepatitis B vaccine in all birth and school vaccination programs.
- Start a mass screening campaign for high -risk groups, especially pregnant women, healthcare workers and injection drug users.
- Ensure that all blood banks and hospitals follow strict transition control protocols.
- Subsidy hepatitis treatments, especially for Hepatitis C, to make them more economical.
- Use community health workers, schools and religious centers to run public education.
- Traine primary healthcare workers to identify early signs of hepatitis.
Director of liver diseases at Shri Balaji Action Medical Institute, Dr. Monica Jain, puts a spotlight on everyday hygiene: “We ask all to eat cooked food, avoid road vendors during the rains, and wash hands well.”
Dr. As a sagal, “We should focus on treating hepatitis to prevent it. This is the way that we will quietly wreak a monsoon at a time.”
Because hepatitis can be an old enemy, but it is one that we already know how to defeat. Now, we just have to work like it.
