The Hidden Epidemic
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: August 08 , 2013 -

Art work by Phurailatpam Banti created on International Day against Drugs Abuse and Illicit Trafficking :: June 26 2011 -

It's the proverbial tip of the iceberg.

Even though the survey report was based on the test conducted on just 22 Injecting Drug Users (IDUs), detection of Hepatitis-C positive cases in 19 of them during screening conducted in May/June this year in Ukhrul district of Manipur is definitely alarming, all the more from the fact that lack of awareness level among the people in general and IDUs in particular about the ‘silent killer' disease is still widespread and there is no facilities for treatment not just in the hill district but also in the entire State.

It is said that there are an estimated 2500 IDUs in different parts of Ukhrul district but majority of them do not even know what Hepatitis is all about.

It was only in the month of April this year that the issue of Hepatitis C and the challenges it posed to the public health came to known among the people of Ukhrul district after the matter was highlighted by Dr H Diamond, Nodal Officer, ART Centre, District Hospital, Ukhrul.

So, the transmission of Hepatitis C virus, which is more infectious than HIV, from the IDUs to the general population is a foregone conclusion.

And this is, indeed, even more worrisome.

As a matter of fact, Hepatitis C today represents a huge public health problem all over the globe today.

World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that globally, about 150 million people are chronically infected with the Hepatitis C virus and more than 350,000 people die every year from Hepatitis C-related liver diseases.

In India alone, 10–12 million people are said to be infected with Hepatitis C and studies conducted in different regions show that the prevalence of Hepatitis C among people who inject drugs ranges from 33 per cent, in places like Amritsar and Delhi to almost 95 per cent in Manipur, which is already under the burden of HIV and AIDS.

Treatment and cure for Hepatitis with newer drugs may be in the pipeline, but lack of access to affordable and appropriate treatment and care for Hepatitis C and co-infection cases has only added another dimension to the problem of tackling the hidden epidemic.

Unlike HIV treatment, which is available to people living with HIV, Hepatitis C treatment is yet to be made available in government hospitals largely due to its high cost, and health programmes for IDUs typically do not screen patients for Hepatitis C due to unavailability of treatment.

Consequently, this results in high morbidity and mortality among IDUs.

While all these call for stepping up the sensitization among the people, any delay on the part of the Government authorities to wake up and start the intervention efforts is likely to allow the hidden epidemic of Hepatitis to grow silently.