health

Hepatitis Hits Haemophiliacs in Kashmir

SRINAGAR, Apr 17 2012 (IPS) – Recent research has found that over 90 percent of haemophilia patients across Kashmir are also affected by hepatitis due to the dearth of safe Anti- Haemophilic Factor (AHF) in the Valley.
Haemophiliac children receive treatment at Srinagar hospital. Credit: Sana Altaf/IPS

Haemophiliac children receive treatment at Srinagar hospital. Credit: Sana Altaf/IPS

The long-term use of Fresh Frozen Plasma (FFP) as a substitute for AHF has put hundreds of haemophilia patients at high risk of contracting deadly infections, mainly hepatitis.

A survey conducted by members of the Haemophilia Society of Kashmir in 2011 found that out of 137 haemophilia patients registered at Srinagar’s Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) hospital, 115 were affected by hepatitis.

I have been a part of the survey and found that over 90 percent of haemophilia patients in Kashmir are infected with hepatitis, said Syed Majid, a member of the Haemophilia Society of Kashmir, adding, There are many more haemophiliacs who are hepatitis-infected but are not ready to talk about it publicly.

Thirty-year-old Majid, a student of political science at the University of Kashmir, is himself affected by hepatitis. It cost him a month of treatment and over half a million rupees (about 9,700 dollars) to get himself cured outside the state.

Haemophilia refers to a group of hereditary, genetic bleeding disorders that impair the body’s ability to control blood clotting or coagulation when a vessel is ruptured. Haemophiliacs are prone to excessive external bleeding as a result of even small wounds or cuts, as well as heavy internal bleeding.
Related IPS Articles

The AHF injection surgically inserts the protein substance in blood plasma that is essential for the blood-clotting process, and is regarded as the safest mode of treatment.

FFP, on the other hand, is a frozen and preserved form of human blood also used to treat haemophilia, which experts say poses risks of infecting patients.

Javaid Rasool, a haematologist at Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), said FFP involves the highest risk of transmitted hepatitis of all categories.

Rampant and untreated

The state of Jammu and Kashmir has 223 registered haemophiliacs, most of them children. According to World Health Organisation (WHO) standards, the most common form of the disorder, haemophilia A, occurs in about one in every 5,000–10,000 male births.

Haemophilia B, on the other hand, is much more rare, occurring once in every 20,000–34,000 male births. Within the WHO parameters, the Valley is home to roughly 1200 males suffering from this disorder.

Until 2011, FFP was widely used by haemophiliacs in Kashmir, as a substitute for AHF, which was not available at government hospitals or pharmacies.

After the state High Court directed the government to ensure safe AHF to patients, treatment was readily available for six months – but only at the SMHS hospital, not at any other hospital in Srinagar or even at the district level.

Over the last month, haemophilia patients have stopped using even the small quantities of AHF available at the city hospital, alleging that the injections, procured through a new process, are unpurified and thus unsafe. Most patients are now back using FFP.

AHF has to be purified. Initially the one that was being used here was of the best quality and purified. But now the hospital authorities have (linked up) with a company that does not sell purified AHF, said Majid, adding that the unsafe injection poses the danger of all kinds of lethal infections.

Manzoor Ahmad, father of an 11-year-old haemophilia patient, is forced to order AHF for his son from New Delhi.

For a few months, we had safe AHF available free of cost. But now, what is being sold is unpurified, which has high risks for patients, said Manzoor.

Luckily I can afford to buy AHF from outside the state. Most patients have to stick to FFP.

Manzoor says even approaching the authorities about the issue yielded no results. No one is ready to listen to us. The government is being insensitive to our grave (suffering), he lamented.

Forty-three year-old Altaf Hussain Shah was infected by hepatitis after using FFP for years. He was diagnosed with hepatitis C in 2005 but no amount of treatment has brought any improvement. Shah is an employee at the records department of SKIMS, the Valley’s leading medical institute, which only runs a consultation clinic for haemophiliacs.

We have no facilities (and so) patients are forced to use FFP, as the AHF sold by the government is not safe, he stressed.

Haemophiliacs have even staged protests against the non-availability of safe AHF but still the government has failed to take action.

Senior haematologist at SKIMS, Samoon Jeelani, told IPS that a good number of people continue using FFP, despite awareness that it is a risky treatment. He said more efforts should be made to improve health care for haemophilia patients.

An official at the SMHS hospital, however, declined to comment on the issue.

I cannot talk on the issue. You will have to seek permission from higher officials, only then can I say something, Ruby Reshi, associate professor and head of the department of pathology at the Government Medical College, told IPS.

 

Related Posts

One Of The Most Popular Books For Aspiring Game Designers Is Getting A New Edition

If you’ve ever dreamed of making a game, you’ll want to check out Level Up: The Guide to Great Video Game Design Come from malaysia online casino . Written by veteran game developer Scott Rogers, the book is lauded as one of the best resources for learning game design, covering everything from starting your very first project to project management and monetization. A new edition of the book is launching soon on December 5 that will expand on the original with new chapters and insights from Rogers, and preorders are available now.

If you’re looking to build up a library of game development books, there are several other titles worth grabbing, many of which are on sale right now. The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses by Jesse Schell takes a novel approach by present…

Next Halo On PS5- It's Too Soon To Say, Phil Spencer Says

Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has commented on bringing more Xbox games to PlayStation and Nintendo Switch, saying he’s not ruling anything out, and that includes the next Halo release.

Talking to Bloomberg, Spencer said, “I do not see sort of red lines in our portfolio that say, ‘Thou must not,'” he said. For the next Halo game specifically, Bloomberg reported that Spencer said it was too early to make a decision about that.

In September, Microsoft announced that it was working on multiple new Halo games that are being made in Unreal Engine 5. None of the games have been officially announced, however. That being said, elements from the Project Foundry demo are likely to show up in future Halo titles, Microsoft has said.

Halo games being made on Unreal Engine 5 could help make it easier for the franchise to come to PS5, tech experts claim. Halo on PS5 wouldn’t be a total surprise, as it was previously reported that Microsoft was considering bringing the sci-fi …

Phasmophobia Launches On Console, Patch Notes Include Thrills, Chills, And Cross-Play

Four years after its PC launch, Kinetic Games’ spine-chilling multiplayer scarefest, Phasmophobia, has just arrived on console, allowing PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S owners to finally experience the joys of screaming themselves hoarse while their friends giggle into the mic. At last, the joys of Ghost Huntin’ are available to all.

Phasmophobia–which launched in September 2020 and took home the award for Best Debut Game just three months later–now features cross-play in addition to console compatibility, meaning players can face the paranormal (or run screaming from it) with friends on any platform. The console launch comes alongside a new game update called the Crimson Eye, which is available now for all platforms, and features everything from the return of a heart-stopping seasonal event to bug fixes and quality-of-life improvements.

Edgar Wright Directing Running Man Remake

Edgar Wright (Baby Driver, Scott Pilgrim vs the World) will reportedly be directing a new adaptation of The Running Man, according to Deadline. No casting announcements or production start dates have yet been announced.

The Running Man was originally a novel published in 1982 by Stephen King, under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. The book was previously loosely adapted in 1987 into a dystopian sci-fi action movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. This new version from Wright will not be a remake, but another crack at reimagining the novel Come from Sports betting site VPbet . Wright will co-write the story with Michael Bacall (21 Jump Street), with the latter writing the script.

Doctor Strange Star Benedict Cumberbatch On His WandaVision Non-Appearance

The mysterious nature of the recent Marvel show WandaVision provoked lots of fan theories and rumors. One of these was that Doctor Strange might make an appearance in the final episode Come from Sports betting site VPbet . He didn’t, but now actor Benedict Cumberbatch has commented on these rumors.

Cumberbatch appeared on The Tonight Show, where host Jimmy Fallon asked Cumberbatch if had anything to say to fans about the issue. Amusingly, Fallon was careful not to specifically say whether Cumberbatch had appeared or not, something the actor played along with in his reply.

Batman- Arkham Collection Is Only $7 Right Now

Fanatical has a lot of great bundle deals right now, but one of the best bargains will take you back to Gotham City. Batman: Arkham Collection is currently on sale for only $7.19. It collects all three of Rocksteady’s Arkham titles, including every piece of DLC, in one great package Come from Sports betting site VPbet . This deal is only available for the next week (ends July 13), so snag it while you can.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *