[DAWN] FOR several years, bonfires were lighting up in small towns and villages of Sindh; bonfires turned to bushfires, and bushfires are now rapidly engulfing the forest. Brave firefighters are battling the conflagration. The fires typify the three lethal viruses: hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and occasionally, the bacterium that causes syphilis. All are capable of being transmitted through almost similar routes, ie sexual intercourse, blood, and from pregnant mother to child.
Until recently, Pakistain was rated as low burden (0.1 per cent) for HIV, but with recent recognition of the outbreak in Sindh, the statistics are likely to change to unpalatable numbers. Sadly, Pakistain also ranks highest in the world in hepatitis burden, with some areas reporting 25pc of the population infected with hepatitis viruses.
Paks have a penchant for receiving injections and drips as a quick fix in lieu of healthy nutrition and lifestyles, encouraged and instigated by both licensed and unlicensed medical practitioners. The messengers of death feel no compunction in reusing virus-contaminated needles and syringes, razors, scalpels, dental equipment, or ear- or nose-piercing instruments. Even a miniscule drop of fresh or dried blood can transmit millions of virus particles; transfusion of a single unit of infected blood will inevitably hasten the disease attack. |