KABUL (SW) – Health authorities in Afghanistan have confirmed at least 15,000 new cases of Hepatitis in the past one year.
The World Health Organization (WHO) officials in Afghanistan stated that lack of awareness, lack of diagnostic centers and medicines are among the most important challenges in the fight against the disease in Afghanistan.
“There is very little public awareness,” said Naeemullah Safi, a WHO representative in Afghanistan. “They do not go to health centers and clinics for proper diagnosis and treatment, and there are also several problems in the health system that we do not have enough diagnosis and treatment centers to provide enough for all patients.”
Abdul Wali Haqqani, deputy minister of health services at the Ministry of Public Health, said that about 15,000 cases of hepatitis were reported in Afghanistan last year alone.
According to Haqqani, there are now hepatitis diagnostic centers in 14 provinces and only eight provinces provide medical services to patients.
“It is estimated that more than 100,000 people have been infected in the past 10 years, including 70,000 with hepatitis B and 30,000 with hepatitis C. Approximately 15,000 cases were reported last year, of which 12,000 were confirmed to have hepatitis B and 1,300 to hepatitis C,” he said.
Officials at the Ministry of Public Health also say that the ministry has developed awareness programs and solutions to fight hepatitis.
Sharif Ahmad Ahmadzai, national director of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), sexually transmitted diseases and hepatitis control at the Ministry of Public Health, says they need the help of the World Health Organization to fight and treat people with hepatitis.
“We have plans in the hepatitis sector. We have also developed guidelines for public awareness. In this regard, the Ministry of Health also has clear procedures. There are also guidelines on how to prevent the spread of the disease,” he added.
According to the World Health Organization, 300 million people worldwide are infected with hepatitis, with another 2 million becoming infected each year and 1.3 million dying from it.
