Pakistan: Hepatitis-C outbreak in south Kashmir areas

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Source: http://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/2...r-areas-83.asp


Medicos confirm Hepatitis-C outbreak in south Kashmir areas
6 Cases Detected In Magam Sonabarie
KHALID GUL

Islamabad, Jan 14: Doctors Monday confirmed the outbreak of Hepatitis-C in Magam Sonabarie area of Kokernag in this south Kashmir district. The medicos blamed chemists and diagnostics centers ?operating in unhygienic conditions? for spread of infection.
Reports said at least six cases of Hepatitis-C have been detected so far in Magam Sonabarie village and the medical team has been deputed to the area to prevent it from spreading further. ?We have already taken more than 100 samples from the area and today we went for mass screening of the village for serum diagnostic test,? said Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Anantnag (Islamabad) Dr Gulzar Ahmad...

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Re: Pakistan: Hepatitis-C outbreak in south Kashmir areas

Health alarm in Islamabad

"Srinagar, Jan 26: What could spark a major health concern, around 300 persons have tested positive for Hepatitis C virus in Takiya Magam village of South Kashmir?s Islamabad (Anantnag) district.
Public health experts told Greater Kashmir that the investigation by Integrated Disease Surveillance Project (IDSP) lab of the Directorate of Health Services confirmed that 30 percent of the 1081 samples tested positive for Hepatitis C virus in the village.

...The health officials including the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of the district, Dr Gulzar Ahmad, said the situation was under control as ?there is no death due to Hepatitis C?. He has urged villagers not to panic, however the public health experts examining the outbreak are concerned that more people could be affected in the neighboring villages.
?There are a good number of clinics and diagnostic centres operating in and around the area under unhygienic conditions so there are chances that the infection will spread,? Dr Rehana Kounsar, State Surveillance Officer, said."

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Re: Pakistan: Hepatitis-C outbreak in south Kashmir areas

Source: http://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/2...kashmir-15.asp

Colossal human tragedy in South Kashmir
The ongoing intensive catastrophic spread of Hepatitis c
ALARM
PROF. M. S. KHUROO
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When North Kashmir (Sopore) was hit by a water-borne (Ningli Nallah) epidemic of jaundice in 1978-79, affecting 57,000 cases with over 2000 deaths in a span of 7 weeks, little did we know that this human tragedy shall lead to recognition of a new disease (Hepatitis E) and discovery of the fifth human hepatitis virus, the hepatitis E virus (HEV). Extensive studies on this agent over the last 4 decades have given us a HEV-vaccine and we are ready for the prime time to control and eradicate this human python. Today history is unfolding again in this Himalayan paradise, this time in South Kashmir, which is hit with a well-known hepatitis virus, the hepatitis C virus (HCV), but with different challenges namely (i) catastrophic mode of spread of this agent, (ii) colossal future health problems of the infected persons and (iii) danger of secondary spread of infection to rest of the Valley. Shall we succeed in our endeavors to meet these threats? This article shall critically analyze this mammoth task and the means we have to hit the bull in the eye!...