The Kerala government has launched a statewide comprehensive hepatitis B immunization project to control and eradicate the disease from the state in near future.

Starting with the districts of Ernakulam, Aalappuzha and Pathanamthitta in the first phase, the programme would be extended to other districts in the second phase starting within a few months. As per the plan, the government would encourage vaccination against hepatitis B among the public. Along with other vaccination programmes, all the government hospitals in the state would give vaccination against hepatitis B to infants and children.

Besides, the government would launch awareness campaigns in different parts of the state. State health minister P Shankaran launched the statewide programme at General Hospital, Kochi, last week, said state health department sources.

Elaborating the gravity of the disease, the sources said one out of every twenty Indians are infected with the hepatitis B virus. Annually 10 lakh out of the 2.5 crore newborns in India become victims to it. One per cent of the deaths in India are due to hepatitis virus induced infection. The virus causes 80 per cent of liver cancer and 68 per cent of liver disorders in the country. More than 2.5 per cent of hepatitis B virus carriers are prone to liver cancer with ageing.

In a global perspective, 30 per cent of the global population (200 crore) carry the virus, including chronic infection for 35 crore people. About 10 lakh people die of hepatitis B infection every year, mainly due to liver cirrhosis and liver cancer.

The infected virus remains in blood and gland secretions, and later affects the liver. Lack of appetite, vomiting, stomach pain, jaundice, coloured urine, scars, rheumatic pain etc. are some of the immediate symptoms of the disease. Children and infants are more prone to the disease, said sources.