Bengal Achieves Significant Success in Preventing Hepatitis B

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced on Tuesday that the state has achieved "remarkable success" in combating Hepatitis B, with a current prevalence rate of just 0.07%.

Banerjee also hailed the mass vaccination programme conducted in the state since 2022 to prevent Hepatitis B among pregnant mothers and newborns.

According to the PTI report, the CM said in a statement, “It is with great pleasure that I would like to inform you that our state West Bengal has achieved remarkable success in preventing Hepatitis B. A recent national survey showed a prevalence rate of 0.07 per cent in West Bengal, indicating the effectiveness of strong Hepatitis B prevention measures in the state.”

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“Our success rate is better than expected. In the coming days, this programme will be followed more strongly to eliminate its outbreak in the state,” Banerjee added.

She also referred to a survey conducted by the National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme to find out the infection statistics of Hepatitis B among children under 5 years, news agency PTI reported.  

Hepatitis B is a viral infection that affects the liver.

Medical Dialogues team had earlier reported that the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) will be providing free DNA testing for hepatitis B and RNA testing for hepatitis C, at the Department of Hepatology, it was announced. The cost of these tests would be borne by the Uttar Pradesh Government through the National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme (NVHCP). The patients willing to avail these services need to register themselves in the hepatology OPD.

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