Hepatitis awareness campaign by city hospital

Staff Reporter

COIMBATORE: GEM Hospital here has joined hands with social service organisations to begin a hepatitis awareness and vaccination campaign in the Government and private schools besides the rural ar-eas. It is being taken up to mark the World Hepatitis Day, observed annually on July 28.

Project Aarogya was launched here recently by B.K. Krishnaraj Vanavarayar, chairman, Bharathiya Vidhya Bhavan in the presence of Kamlesh V. Raheja, Rotary District 3201 governor.

A joint initiative of GEM Hospital and Research Centre and the Rotary Clubs of Metropolis, Centennial, Spectrum and West, it aims to create awareness about healthy living. Information related to gastroenteritis, liver and cancer will be deliver-ed at the doorsteps of schools and villages, according to a press release. 

Hospital chairman C. Palanivelu said that free medical camps at schools and villages in which screening for gas-troenteritis-related ailments and cancer would be conducted to detect the disease at an early stage. Health-related talks on preventive aspects, good personal habits and creating an understanding of the digestive system with illustrative models would also be held in schools and villages.

P. Senthilnathan, head, Department of Liver and Pancreas, spoke along with the presidents of Rotary Clubs N. Vijayakumar (Metropolis), C. Krishnaraj (West). Sanjay Shah (Spectrum), P. Shanka-ranarayanan, (Centennial).

The GEM Hospital will also conduct a week-long liver free screening and consultation camp along with a free hepatitis vaccination programme from July 27 to August 1.

Screening for all liver diseases including liver cancer, fatty liver, cirrhosis and jaun-dice would be done. Appointments can be made by contacting 96009 53999 /(0422) 232 5105.

Silent disease

Hepatitis C is called a silent epidemic as most people infected by the disease would not know they were infected till a late stage, said S. Raja, assistant professor, Depart-ment of Gastroenterology, Coimbatore Government Medical College and Hospital.

In India alone, it is estimated that 12 to 18 million people are infected with Hepatitis C, several times greater than those with HIV/AIDS. Its symptoms include fever, fatigue, headache followed by loss of appetite, nausea and abdominal pain.

He said that high-risk cate-gory included those who share drug needles, children of mothers with Hepatitis C, those having tattoos or others pierced with unsterilised tools and those sharing an infected person's razor or toothbrush