Hepatitis among the pregnant women & transmission to newborn baby

Hepatitis with all its definitions and types is a universal issue and as reported by WHO 12-15 million people are infected each year. In Pakistan the situation is quite similar with rest of the other countries. Among the types of hepatitis viruses, hepatitis B and C are those viruses who required wideranging studies to cover the area to control the disease. Many researchers carried out in a variety of groups in different health facilities have reported variable results concerning prevalence of hepatitis B and C. Most recently, Pakistan Medical Research Council (PMRC) had arranged a national survey to target and record the prevalence of hepatitis B and C in common population of Pakistan both living in urban or rural areas. The opening reports disclose that HBsAg is positive in 2.5% and Anti-HCV in 4.9%. Thus overall positivity for both these viruses is 7.4%. According to this survey a bigger set as about 12 million population of Pakistan is affected by these viruses. The prevalence of hepatitis is increasing day by day among pregnant women also among common people in Pakistan. Mother to child transmission of HIV during pregnancy, child-birth, or through breast-feeding is the most important source of infection in children. HIV/AIDS has not spared Pakistan, and an increasing number of women and children infected with HIV are being reported from around the country. Although the documented number of peri-natally acquired cases among children in Pakistan is only 39 (NACP 2005), several factors contribute to suggest that this number is a significant under-estimate. These include the lack of awareness about HIV/AIDS among the general population and among health care professionals, the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS, lack of diagnostic testing facilities, and the difficulties of making a diagnosis in children, especially in a country where malnutrition rates are as high as 30% among children under 5 years of age. To date, the majority of HIV-infected children identified in Pakistan have been born to mothers whose husbands’ acquired HIV while working abroad and were identified through routine screening for visa processing/renewals. Hepatitis among the pregnant women and then transmission to the next generation via affected women required greater attention to develop and implement serious health program to secure not only mothers but also our future. Government along with private sector should work in close collaboration on health issues to promote public health in the country should try to plan clear policies on awareness like adoption of protective measures, highlight the importance of safe sex relationships, to avoid the infected instruments, knowledge about basic carriers of disease and implement health care plan to secure the future.