Regular blood screenings to fight Hepatitis C threat: Dr K Soma Sekhar Rao

With rapid evolution in medicine, the dangerous hepatitis c infection of the liver is today almost completely curable. However, due to the absence of regular blood screenings, most infected people are not even aware that they are living with the infection.

• Lack of awareness about routes of transmission and need for screening makes this curable infection serious
• Making regular blood screenings available to all high risk individuals key to fight hepatitis C threat

According to Dr K Soma Sekhar Rao, Senior Gastroenterologist, Apollo Hospital, Hyderabad says while the rate of incidence of Hepatitis C is now very low in Hyderabad (1-2 per cent), some pockets in Telangana continue to have high incidence of the infection. Making regular blood screenings available to all high risk individuals continues to be a major challenge in the fight against hepatitis C.

Hepatitis C is one of the serious infections of the liver because if untreated in can lead to chronic liver diseases such as liver cirrhosis and even liver cancer. Unlike hepatitis A and B, there is also no vaccine yet to prevent hepatitis C.

“In recent years, the introduction of the new drugs has brought hope to the scenario and has made the disease highly curable. The problem is that given the silent nature of this virus, most people do not come to know that they are infected until the disease reaches chronic stage. In fact, most cases are detected in random blood screenings that are conducted before surgeries, before insurance or in women in early stages of pregnancy.

Given the absence of a regular screening practice, thousands of people continue to live with the infection without even knowing they have it,” says Dr Rao. While it is an easily treatable condition and the overall situation is monitorable, the problem is lack of regular screenings. In the absence of regular screenings, most cases go undetected for long periods of time, turning the infection chronic and causing serious damage to the liver.

If regular screening measures are implemented, the disease can be substantially controlled. According to estimates of the World Health Organization (WHO), in India there are as many as 6-12 million hepatitis C virus (HCV) infected people, with limited access to testing and treatment facilities.

“Hepatitis C is a blood borne infection that is spread through blood products. Use of unsterile needles and medical equipment, dialysis, unsafe blood transfusions and needle sharing between intravenous drug users are the primary causes of hepatitis C transmission. Patients who underwent blood transfusions, dialysis or kidney related surgeries in the 1990s are more at risk.

All high risk individuals must get themselves screened for the virus to allow for timely diagnosis and treatment. The infection is highly curable if detected on time,” says Dr Rao. Prevalence of quacks, especially in rural areas is another challenge. These unregistered practitioners may practice unscrupulous habits such as using unsterile medical equipment, re-using needles etc, putting unsuspecting patients at risk.

Lack of awareness about possible routes of transmission and the need for regular screening remain major challenges. Containing the spread of the virus is a key responsibility of healthcare providers, as most often the virus is transmitted during surgical procedures or dialysis procedures where equipment is shared among patients. Doctors, nurses, patients—all stakeholders should come together to make medical practices safe to prevent infection.