Hepatitis E infection in flood-hit areas threatens pregnant women

ISLAMABAD: Urging the authorities to immediately launch massive vaccination drives in the flood-hit areas, health officials and experts on Tuesday observed that lives of thousands of pregnant women and children, who are at the risk of dying due to cholera, typhoid, Hepatitis E and other preventable diseases, can be saved through several vaccines available in the country.

“Women and children have started dying due to water-borne diseases, including cholera, typhoid, Hepatitis E and other vaccine-preventable diseases in the flood-affected areas. Fortunately, we have vaccines available in the country to prevent these diseases.

Hepatitis E is a water-borne endemic illness, which can cause acute liver failure, fetal loss and mortality among pregnant women,” Dr Shahzad Ali Khan, Vice Chancellor, Health Services Academy (HSA), Islamabad, told a group of health officials and stakeholders on Tuesday.

Around 42,000 among 128,000 pregnant women are expected to give births in the next three months in the flood-hit areas but due to Hepatitis E viral infection, which is an endemic water-borne disease, many of them are feared to lose their babies or even die themselves, experts warned.

Speaking at a dissemination meeting on Pakistan floods titled “A Health Crisis of Epic Proportion: Hepatitis E, Tip of an Iceberg” at the HSA, which was attended by officials from the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, infectious disease experts, gynaecologists, pharmacists and representatives from the pharmaceutical industry,

“So, in addition to providing clean drinking water and food to people in the flood-hit areas, it is recommended that children and women be given vaccines to save them from cholera, typhoid and Hepatitis E outbreaks. It is also advisable to give Hepatitis E vaccine to thousands of pregnant women,” Dr Shahzad Ali Khan maintained.

Representatives of pharmaceutical firm Ferozsons, which has introduced the Hepatitis E vaccine in Pakistan, claimed the lives of pregnant mothers and their fetus can be saved with the help of vaccines, including Hepatitis E recombinant vaccine.

Stagnant flood waters, spreading over one third of the country, may take up to six months to recede, increasing the risks of water-borne diseases such as Hepatitis E, malaria, dengue, and cholera. Lack of access to safe drinking, proper sanitation, resources and medical supplies, and overcrowding of camps of internally displaced persons (IDPs) increases the risks of outbreaks, they warned.

“Among all the potential outbreaks, hepatitis E virus (HEV) outbreak is of great concern for pregnant women. HEV infection progresses to liver failure and ultimately causes death. Miscarriages and neonatal deaths are common complications of HEV infection. The fatality rate among pregnant women may go as high as 15-20pc, whereas the fetal mortality rate can reach as high as 40pc,” said Dr Najeeb Muhammad, a representative of the pharmaceutical firm.

Director ORIC at Health Services Academy, Prof. Mubashir Hanif said all the available pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical interventions should be used to save lives. Former Surgeon General of Pakistan Army, Lt Gen (retd) Dr Asif Mumtaz Sukhera, Dr. Syed Batool Mazhar, Dr. Mujeeb Ahmed from the Holy Family Hospital, Aamir Zafar from the Ferozsons and other experts also spoke.