Hepatitis Declared A Notifiable Disease In Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Friday declared Hepatitis “B” and Hepatitis “C” as notifiable diseases with immediate effect.

The Health and Family Welfare department in a notification asked all healthcare facilities in the state to take immediate steps for notification of the Hepatitis (Hepatitis-B and Hepatitis-C) cases at the earliest.

In exercise of the powers conferred under Section (2) (1) of the Epidemic Disease Act-1897, the government prescribed in the notification that all healthcare providers (Govt/Private/ NGO sector) where diagnosis, tests and treatment of patients is undertaken shall have to take adequate steps for timely notification of Hepatitis-B and Hepatitis-C diseases (screened or confirmed) to the District Surveillance Officers and State Surveillance Officer.

Chronic Hepatitis-B and Hepatitis-C cases are major public health concerns accounting for substantial morbidity, mortality and economic loss in Odisha. These two are blood borne and transmissible viral diseases, 0fficials said.

While Hepatitis-C is curable if treated on time for three months, Hepatitis-B requires lifelong treatment. Both the diseases can give rise to liver damage and Hepato-cellular carcinoma (liver cancer) if they remain undiagnosed and untreated, he added.

The state government said it is determined to bring down the Hepatitis infectivity and case load to elimination level in a time-bound manner.