Why is there less information about Hepatitis B virus in India, research revealed

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New Delhi . Despite an effective vaccine against hepatitis B virus being available for more than 30 years, its uptake in India remains low due to poor information and lack of awareness, a study by Sir Ganga Ram Hospital has revealed.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major global health issue, affecting approximately 296 million people globally. About 8 lakh 87 thousand people die every year due to complications like liver cirrhosis and liver cancer.

Researchers said there are about 37 million HBV carriers in India. Still, there was less information about the disease as well as preventive vaccines. The team surveyed 3,500 participants, excluding healthcare workers and individuals under 18 years of age.

Their findings, published in the online platform Curious, showed that only 25 percent of people had adequate information about the virus. Additionally, only 22.7 percent completed the full course of hepatitis B vaccination.

“This low vaccination rate is worrying, especially given the prevalence of the virus and the effectiveness of the vaccine in preventing the development of advanced liver disease called cirrhosis and liver cancer,” Dr Anil Arora of New Delhi-based Sir Ganga Ram Hospital said on Friday. Seeing it.”

The study highlighted disparities in vaccination across gender, education level and urban-rural divide.

Dr. Anil stressed the need for targeted public health interventions to improve awareness and vaccination coverage.

He further said that educational campaigns should focus on the general public, especially female older persons with low education levels and rural residents, who have demonstrated low knowledge and vaccination rates among study participants.

“Also, efforts should be made to raise awareness about the importance of completing the full vaccination schedule for adequate efficacy,” the doctor said. It is not uncommon for people to take one or two doses of vaccination and forget the last one. “

–IANS

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