Pakistan ranked first in world with over 8 million hepatitis C cases

The World Health Organization (WHO) has ranked Pakistan in the world’s top five countries with the highest number of viral hepatitis B and C infections.

However, the South Asian country was ranked first with over 8 million hepatitis C cases.

According to the WHO, at least 3,800,000 people were diagnosed with hepatitis B in Pakistan, while 8,800,000 were in the battle with hepatitis C.

The report attributed all of the new 44 percent of hepatitis C infection cases to unsafe injections and medical practices.

In a previous report, Egypt reported the largest number of hepatitis C and B cases, followed by Pakistan, but for now, Egypt has become the first country to achieve gold-tier status on the path to eliminating Hepatitis C from the country.

However, the statistics also showed a surge in the number of deaths from the disease in Pakistan, increasing from 1.1 million in 2019 to 1.3 million in 2022. Of these 83 percent died of hepatitis B, while 17 percent of deaths were caused by hepatitis C.

The numbers of hepatitis B and hepatitis C cases showed China, India, Indonesia, and Nigeria ahead of Pakistan.

According to Dr Masood Sheikh of Lahore General Hospital, Pakistan has been bearing the second largest burden of hepatitis C globally with 4.8 percent of patients. 

Dr Sheikh said the transmission of the virus increased in Pakistan due to ignorance of the cure, sharing personal items, and unsafe health practices.