J&K reports zero Hepatitis-B deaths for six consecutive years: Health Ministry

Srinagar, Dec 07: Jammu and Kashmir is among the states and UTs that have reported zero deaths due to Hepatitis-B for six consecutive years, as revealed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
This is for the sixth consecutive year that J&K and other places have reported zero deaths due to Hepatitis-B, a viral infection that causes liver inflammation and swelling.
The other states and UTs that have reported zero Hepatitis-B deaths include Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chandigarh, Goa, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Mizoram, Puducherry, Sikkim, Telangana etc.
In a reply in Lok Sabha, the Minister of Health and Family Welfare said Hepatitis-B is a viral infection that causes chronic infection of the liver and can result in severe complications such as Cirrhosis and Hepatocellular Carcinoma, which can progress to death.
The minister said that activities relating to Viral Hepatitis are performed through a concerted and coordinated effort of the Central and State Government through the National Health Mission (NHM).
It said that the National Viral Hepatitis Programme (NVHCP) under the umbrella scheme of NHM has adopted various preventive strategies against Hepatitis B across the country including the State of Kerala.
“The major strategies adopted are universal immunization of children including HBV-0 dose followed by 3 dose primary schedule as part of the pentavalent vaccine,” the reply said.
It emphasized the universal screening of antenatal women to prevent vertical transmission, screening of high-risk groups and the general population, as well as screening of all blood donors for HBV and individuals undergoing surgical procedures, among other measures.