Hepatitis C (HCV) and AIDS are both diseases that are deadly and spread in the same manner, by the mixing of bodily fluids like blood and saliva. Poor people refuse treatment in countries like Pakistan and sanitation as a concept, especially in medicine, is not practiced by many leading to the spread of such diseases at a quicker scale. Barbers, ear-piercers, tooth-extractors and tea-purveyors rinsing their cups in the same tainted water repeatedly also contribute a lot to this disease. Hepatitis C has an acute phase lasting of maybe 3 months after which it turns chronic or, in extremely few cases, may just disappear completely. In the chronic case the liver shrinks ultimately resulting in liver failure or cancer. 

There is no vaccine available for this virus, and just until about 3 years ago there was no definite treatment for it. Fortunately, American scientists came up with a medicine in 2013 which, alone or in some combinations, is effective in treating the disease within 12 to 24 weeks. It was an extremely costly drug to begin with but the inventors showed mercy and allowed the poor countries to manufacture it at cheap rates. The people of Muzaffargarh are poor, and probably most affected by Hepatitis C, therefore the Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif is requested to ensure an uninterrupted supply of medicine to counter HCV at the DHQ Hospital. 

ABDUL QADIR,  

Muzaffargarh, December 19.