Ferozepur, July 28 – Under the directions of Civil Surgeon Dr. Meenakshi Dhingra, the district-level World Hepatitis Day was observed at Government Senior Secondary School, Khai Feme Ki. On the occasion, doctors and the Mass Media Team from the Civil Surgeon’s Office conducted an awareness session for students.
Addressing the students and teachers, Dr. Manmeet Singh, Medical Officer, said that hepatitis is a liver disease caused by viruses and can be extremely serious and life-threatening. He informed that the Punjab Government provides treatment for Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C at 22 government hospitals, three government medical colleges, two sub-divisional hospitals, 13 ART Centres, and 11 OST Centres across the state. All tests and treatment for Hepatitis C are available free of cost.
Speaking on the occasion, Sanjeev Sharma, District Mass Media Officer, and Ankush Bhandari, Deputy Mass Media Officer, explained that hepatitis is mainly of four types—A, B, C, and E.
They said that Hepatitis A and E spread through contaminated drinking water, food contaminated by flies, and consuming food with unwashed hands. Common symptoms include mild fever, muscle pain, loss of appetite, vomiting, weakness, liver damage, and dark yellow urine.
They further explained that Hepatitis B and C (commonly referred to as viral hepatitis) can spread through the sharing of needles used for drug injection, transfusion of infected blood, unsafe tattooing practices, and prolonged kidney dialysis. Symptoms include fever, weakness, loss of appetite, yellow-colored urine, liver damage, and, in severe cases, liver cancer.
On the occasion, Amarjeet, SI, Mamdot, advised people to avoid the use of injectable drugs and never share needles. He also urged the public not to get tattoos from unhygienic setups, such as temporary fair stalls, and to avoid sharing personal items like toothbrushes and shaving razors. He emphasized the importance of regular medical check-ups and advised that, whenever blood transfusion is required, only properly tested blood from authorized government blood banks should be used.
Among those present were School Principal