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WORLD GASTROENTEROLOGY NEWS OCTOBER 2018
Editorial | Expert Point of View | Gastro 2018 | WDHD News | WGO & WGOF News | WGO Global Guidelines | Calendar of Events
World Digestive Health Day in Karachi, Pakistan
Zaigham Abbas, MD
Vice President, Pakistan Society for the Study of Liver Diseases
The Pakistan Society for the Study
of Liver Diseases (PSSLD) arranged
a symposium on 29 May 2018 to
observe World Digestive Health Day
in Karachi. The title of the symposium
was “Lift the burden of hepatitis
B and C.” This program was aimed at
raising awareness among health care
professionals and gastroenterologists
regarding the international struggle to
eliminate hepatitis by 2030.
Prof. Zaigham Abbas, Vice
President of PSSLD, welcomed the
participants. He discussed in detail
the occurrence of hepatitis B and C in
the endemic districts within Pakistan,
where the prevalence of hepatitis B
and C was much higher than the
nationwide average (HCV 4.8% and
HBV 2.5%). He underlined the challenges
in the management and mentioned
that considering epidemiology
and prevalence pattern of hepatitis in
Pakistan, micro-elimination strategies
are one of the ways for going forward
to lift the burden of the disease.
Prof. Saeed Hamid, Past President
of PSSLD, in his presentation further
stressed the role of community based
efforts to control hepatitis. The
ultimate goal is to ensure that patients
with hepatitis B and C are appropriately
picked up from the community,
investigated and treated according to
the modern guidelines. He demonstrated
the effectiveness of a low cost
community model for the care and
treatment of hepatitis C patients.
Prof. Wasim Jafri, Patron of
PSSLD, presented on new developments
to cure hepatitis B. He
mentioned that unlike hepatitis C,
hepatitis B was treatable but not
curable. However, with ongoing
research it might become an attainable
Attendance at the event
goal within the next decade. He
highlighted the major immunopathology
discoveries in the HBV cure
research programs and ways to target
cccDNA. This was followed by interactive
discussions with enthusiastic
participation by the audience. Prof.
Shahab Abid, Prof. Zahid Azam, Prof.
Nasir Luck, Prof Jamil Ahmed and
Dr. Faisal Wasim participated in the
discussion.
This program was aimed at
raising awareness among
health care professionals
and gastroenterologists
regarding the international
struggle to eliminate
hepatitis by 2030.
…micro-elimination
strategies are one of the
ways for going forward
to lift the burden of the
disease.
He demonstrated the
effectiveness of a low
cost community model for
the care and treatment of
hepatitis C patients.
WDHD committee
WDHD Symposium in Pakistan