Indus Vitals

The federal government has once again expressed its commitment to working for the control of viral hepatitis C (HCV) diseases across the country. This time measures will be taken under the Prime Minister’s Programme for Elimination of Hepatitis C in Pakistan, which, according to key personalities, will cost the federal and provincial governments a collective amount to the tune of Rs68.25 billion in a period of three years. Though more details of the proposed measures to be taken under the programme, launched in Islamabad recently, are yet to be revealed, it has officially been stated that the programme would be executed with the assistance of over three dozens of non-governmental organisations. Under the plan, everyone over the age of 12 will be screened, while free treatment will be provided to those diagnosed with hepatitis. Here one can desire that the PM’s programme will also take stock from similar initiatives taken in the past and try to overcome lacunas and emulate something...

By Sabahat Muslim KARACHI: Blood samples of as many as 159,665 (3.80%) screened healthy donors of the Sindh Blood Transfusion Authority (SBTA) regulated 185 blood banks were found positive for transfusion transmitted illnesses (TTIs) during a period of five years across Sindh, revealed a lately released medical science research report. According to the doctors who conducted the said study to assess the prevalence and distribution of TTIs among healthy blood donors, there has been a considerable increase in the number of Hepatitis B or C and HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) among blood donors in Sindh, which underscores the need for continued surveillance, prevention and intervention to address the issue. The research report, showing a continuously increasing trend of all the mentioned infections, has been published in Cureus Journal of Medical Science, an online open access multi-specialty journal. A team comprising Dur-e-Naz Jamal and Sundas Gul of SBTA, Samra Waheed of ...