Correspondent
KOHIMA, MAY 24
The groundbreaking move of the World Health Assembly (WHA) in passing the Hepatitis Resolution on May 22 comes as a beacon of optimism for those who are infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) and health activists alike.
“Hepatitis C has long been an orphan disease,” says Abou Mere, the convener of Hepatitis Coalition of Nagaland (HepCoN), on Friday here in Kohima.Supplementing to the above, Mere said while other diseases have a (health) department to take care of them, yet many agencies, including the central and the state governments have so far shied from the hepatitis C issue.
He explained that this was one of the reasons why few likeminded people from organizations in Nagaland that work to reform drug users decided to take the challenge to propagate awareness about HCV under the aegis of HepCoN barely a year back. The organizations include Nagaland Users’ Network, Nagaland Network of People living with HIV and AIDS, and N-Naga DAO.
“Our priority is not HIV any longer. HCV is our top health priority now,” Mere stated, adding, it is high time that the health department should take hepatitis C as a major health issue.
Mere, who is also a health activist, observed that many people in Nagaland are still ignorant of hepatitis C or HCV. He said that for the past several months, HepCoN has been involved in organising awareness programmes on hepatitis C in 10 the districts across the state and the campaign will culminate in Mon shortly. It was learnt that these programmes are put together by HepCoN without any support from the government.
“During our awareness campaign in different districts, we found out that only few people know about hepatitis C or HCV,” Mere said and went on to add that most of these few people have only heard about hepatitis C and not what it really is.
While emphasizing that a policy to tackle the issue is the need of the hour, he expressed optimism that with WHA passing the Hepatitis Resolution, member countries of the UN (including India) will be compelled to take up measures to address the hepatitis issue, and fill up existing gaps in advocacy, diagnosis, surveillance, accessible and affordable treatment/drugs etc.
HepCoN, in its endeavour to bring the burden of HCV treatment prices, has tied up with an Indian generic drug company (Zydus) and the rate of one antiviral (injection) vial has been reduced to Rs.5250 and there is free diagnostic centre.
“When there are more generic drug manufacturers, innovators cannot monopolise the rates,” Mere says. He further stated that when member states of UN start working on the WHA resolution, the confidence of those companies who are starting to consider making generic drugs for treatment of hepatitis C will be boosted and there will be competition amongst them to provide affordable drugs and better service.
Four years after introducing its first Viral Hepatitis Resolution, the WHA- the decision making body of the World Health Organisation (WHO)- passed the Hepatitis Resolution on May 22, 2014, which commits the WHO and the UN member states to take urgent action to address the global hepatitis pandemic, including that of HCV.
