News Digest

Doctors press panic button on Hepatitis
NEW DELHI: One in every 12 people suffers from chronic hepatitis B or C worldwide. According to health experts, the number of cases of the viral infection is on the rise in India due to unavailability of safe drinking water.

With the World Hepatitis Day being observed for the first time this year on Thursday, July 28, by the World Health Organization (WHO), city doctors said there is a need to create more awareness and step up preventive measures....

India is reeling under a serious burden of Hepatitis.

Professor S K Acharya, HoD of gastroenterology at AIIMS, said studies reported from various parts of India estimate that about 20 million Indians are Hep B carriers and about 8 to 10 million may have silent Hep C virus infection.

"These individuals do not know that they have these infections. We presume that about 300,000 cirrhosis and about 20,000 liver cancers may be occurring annually in this country," Prof Acharya said.

According to him, India does not have a Hep B virus registry, or information on the disease burden.

"Their treatment is expensive. Control strategies should include mass awareness, universal guideline for immunization and hygienic handling of food and water, which can reduce the liver disease burden substantially in our country," he added....


Indians are a depressed lot: Report
NEW DELHI: Indians are among the world's most depressed. According to a World Health Organization-sponsored study, while around 9% of people in India reported having an extended period of depression within their lifetime, nearly 36% suffered from what is called Major Depressive Episode (MDE)....