Mohammad Ebadul Karim, Managing director of Beacon Pharmaceuticals Ltd, underscored the need for spreading awareness among people about viral hepatitis, an inflammation of the liver that can cause severe liver disease and hepatocellular cancer.
Ebadul Karim, also a lawmaker of parliament from Brahmanbaria-5 constituency, made the call while addressing a seminar on “Hepatitis: Prevention and Treatment’ held in Dhaka on July 29 marking the World Hepatitis Day 2021.
“We need to be more conscious of the disease. We will have to take vaccines to stay safe from hepatitis,” he said, assuring that he would play a role to ensure hepatitis vaccine for people under the government management.
A number of physicians from different hospitals and medical colleges took part in the programme and delivered their important speeches to make people aware about the disease.
Prof Dr Faruque Ahmed, director of Sheikh Russel Gastroliver Institute & Hospital, attended the seminar and delivered his important speech on the subject matter, its treatment and preventive measures.
In his speech, Dr Faruque Ahmed said there are five main strains of the hepatitis virus – A, B, C, D and E. The expert said that the hepatitis B and C viruses are spreading in the human body due to contaminated blood, syringes, mother-to-child contact and unprotected intercourse.
World Hepatitis Day is celebrated every year on July 28. In 2021, the theme of the day is ‘Hepatitis Can’t Wait’.
This day is an opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of knowing one’s hepatitis status and to spread the word about its treatment.
The day was celebrated in Bangladesh like other countries in the globe for raising the awareness against the deadly virus.
Taking the opportunity, Beacon Pharmaceuticals, a leading oncology drug maker in Bangladesh, observed that by holding many promotional works at different medical colleges and hospitals to make its efforts successful.
According to WHO, 325 million people globally live with hepatitis B or C, and each year these viruses kill an estimated 1.4 million people.
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the viral hepatitis continues to claim thousands of lives across the world every day, he said.
According to a study by the Liver Foundation of Bangladesh Hepatology Society, 76 percent of patients who come to the hospital for treatment with jaundice are infected with the hepatitis virus.
History of World Hepatitis Day
This day is marked on July 28 on the birthday of Nobel Prize-winning scientist Dr Baruch Blumberg to honour him.
He discovered the Hepatitis B virus (HBV). He also developed a diagnostic test and vaccine to treat the Hep-B virus.