World Hepatitis Day 2019: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Thailand achieve Hepatitis B control: Can India bridge the gaps? | Lifestyle News, The Indian Express

World Hepatitis Day 2019: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Thailand achieve Hepatitis B control: Can India bridge the gaps? | Lifestyle News, The Indian Express



Written by Jayashree Narayanan |New Delhi |Published: July 28, 2019 2:56:01 pm

World Hepatitis Day 2019: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Thailand achieve Hepatitis B control: Can India bridge the gaps?

India is one of the few countries in the world to offer free diagnostics and life-long drugs for Hepatitis B.

Not every patient with Hepatitis B might need treatment, but every patient with Hepatitis B needs proper education. (Source: Getty Images/Thinkstock)

Recently Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Thailand became the first countries in World Health Organization (WHO) South-East Asia Region to achieve Hepatitis B control, with prevalence of the deadly disease dropping to less than one per cent among five-year-old children. Taking a leaf out of its immediate neighbours’ books, can India achieve control over the disease that is known to cause more deaths than malaria and dengue combined?