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Health Foundation ‘steers Hepatitis C programme attaining 98pc cure rate’

By News Desk
April 11, 2019

Pakistan is facing an epidemic of hepatitis where according to an estimate every 7th Pakistani is positive for either Hepatitis B or C. As per global estimates, Pakistan is the second highest Hepatitis C prevalent country in the world.

According to the modeling done by experts from Bristol and Centre for Disease Analysis, approximately 150,000 new HCV cases are added each year to the existing 10 million cases in Pakistan. Due to low disease awareness and literacy less than 50 per cent population has access to any form of health care and therefore gets complications of the disease due to delayed diagnosis and treatment.

The Health Foundation is the only civil society organisation that is working directly within communities in the high hepatitis districts of Pakistan for the Prevention and Treatment of Hepatitis B and C, said a press release issued on Wednesday.

“Pakistan has been fortunate to produce generic direct acting drugs (DAAs) at prices which are cheapest in the world. Using a combination of pan genotypic drugs (Sof+ Dec), we at THF were able to achieve a cure rate of 98% (SVR at 12 weeks+ after completion of treatment). THF has treated over 6000 Hepatitis B and C patients.

A comprehensive Communication Strategy aimed at behaviour change is also ongoing to reiterate the concept of ‘Prevention is better than cure’.”

Over 700,000 individuals within the communities have been reached through targeted awareness sessions. Following the preventive strategy, THF has provided protection against Hepatitis B in children who were missed by the EPI by vaccinating them through a data based Catch up Vaccination programme. Till date, approximately a population of 450,000 has been fully immunised.

With the available expertise, capable and trained teams and donor support for testing treatment and vaccination, THF is proud to state that it is playing its part in contributing to the goal of Elimination of Hepatitis by 2030.