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Waheed et al. Hepatoma Res 2018;4:45 Hepatoma Research
DOI: 10.20517/2394-5079.2018.58

Opinion Open Access

Elimination of hepatitis from Pakistan by 2030: is it
possible?

Yasir Waheed , Masood Siddiq 2
1
1 Foundation University Medical College, Foundation University Islamabad, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan.
2 Jinnah Memorial Hospital, 2-Civil Lines, Rawalpindi 46000, Pakistan.
Correspondence to: Dr. Yasir Waheed, Foundation University Medical College, Foundation University Islamabad, Islamabad
44000, Pakistan. E-mail: yasir_waheed_199@hotmail.com; Prof. Masood Siddiq, Jinnah Memorial Hospital, 2-Civil Lines,
Rawalpindi 46000, Pakistan. E-mail: dr.masood.siddiq@gmail.com
How to cite this article: Waheed Y, Siddiq M. Elimination of hepatitis from Pakistan by 2030: is it possible? Hepatoma Res
2018;4:45. http://dx.doi.org/10.20517/2394-5079.2018.58
Received: 14 May 2018 First Decision: 20 Jun 2018 Revised: 17 Jul 2018 Accepted: 30 Jul 2018 Published: 14 Aug 2018

Science Editor: Guang-Wen Cao Copy Editor: Jun-Yao Li Production Editor: Cai-Hong Wang

Abstract
Globally 71 million people are living with hepatitis C virus (HCV) out which 7.1 million (10%) are present in Pakistan.
Genotype 3 is the most common HCV type in the country. World Health Organization is working with health authorities
in different countries for effective control of HCV, to reduce its incidence by 90% and to reduce hepatitis related
mortality by 65% by the year 2030. There are several challenges that hinder elimination of HCV from Pakistan including
the lack of patient awareness about the causes and transmission of disease, lack of affordability for investigations
and drug treatment and lack of experienced healthcare professionals. Other major contributors to achieve HCV
elimination are lack of effective drugs and delayed regulatory approvals combined with compromised monitoring by
health authorities and lack of robust epidemiological data. Efforts are needed to educate the public about the modes of
transmission and prevention of HCV infection, and massively upscale screening along with treatment. There is a dire
need to prevent more than 200,000 new infections that occur each year in Pakistan. Given the scale of the problem, it is
very unlikely that the government alone can handle it.

Keywords: Hepatitis C virus, global health sector strategy, hepatitis elimination, national hepatitis strategic framework,
punjab hepatitis ordinance, hepatitis diagnosis, screening

OPINION
Viral hepatitis caused 1.4 million deaths in 2015, which is comparable with the annual deaths from
tuberculosis and higher than the annual deaths from HIV . The hepatitis epidemic remained neglected for
[1]

© The Author(s) 2018. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
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