INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Kathmandu, July 26
Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Thailand have become the first countries in WHO South-East Asia Region to achieve
Hepatitis-B control, with prevalence of the deadly disease dropping to less than one per cent among five-year-old children, the World Health
Organisation announced today.
&Unwavering determination to reach every child, everywhere, every time with life-saving Hepatitis-B vaccines
through childhood immunisation has made this achievement possible
These successes are a testimony of the countries& commitment to health of their people, and the untiring efforts being made by health
workers and communities for the well-being of children,& said Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, regional director WHO South-East Asia, in a press
statement released from New Delhi.
The expert panel for Verification of Hepatitis B Control in WHO South-East Asia region recommended
verification of Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Thailand, after reviewing childhood immunisation data that showed over 90 per cent consistent
coverage with hepatitis B vaccine doses provided during infancy for past many years
Studies conducted among five-year-old children in these countries corroborated high immunisation rates, and that hepatitis B prevalence in
these four countries among children was less than one per cent.
Children across 11 countries of WHO South-East Asia region get three doses
of hepatitis B containing vaccines in their first year of life under national immunisation programme
Eight countries also administer hepatitis B vaccine birth dose crucial to prevent mother-to-child transmission of the disease.
Preventing
hepatitis B infection in infancy substantially reduces chronic infections and cases of liver cancer and cirrhosis in adulthood
Hepatitis B control through immunisation gained momentum in the WHO South-East Asia Region with countries endorsing it as a target by 2020,
as part of the South-East Asia Regional Vaccine Action Plan.
WHO Goodwill Ambassador for hepatitis in the region, Amitabh Bachchan advocacy
added impetus to efforts against hepatitis, Dr Khetrapal Singh said
These achievements come days before the World Hepatitis Day which focuses this year on ‘Invest in eliminating hepatitis.&
&Hepatitis can
be easily prevented and also treated
Member countries must continue to spread awareness about hepatitis and scale up other preventive measures such as safe injection, safe blood
and infection prevention and control,& the regional director said.
Though preventable, viral hepatitis kills 410,000 people in the WHO
South-East Asia Region every year, mostly people in their productive years
Nearly 90 million people suffer from chronic liver disease that is driving rates of liver cancer and cirrhosis in the region.
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Nepal achieves Hepatitis-B control appeared first on The Himalayan Times.
