Government ropes in Amitabh Bachchan to create more awareness on Hepatitis B

In an attempt to boost the ministry of health and family welfare's awareness campaign on Hepatitis B, it launched 75-second videos of Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan confessing that he is being treated for the virus since the last 20 years, in Mumbai on Monday. The campaign was launched in collaboration with the UNICEF.

Speaking at the event, union health minister JP Nadda said 3% of the population has the virus and it takes 15-18 years for it to manifest. "Awareness on the disease and prevention is must. Bachchan's participation will boost the campaign. We need the society's support," he said.

He added that his ministry has come out with an ambitious programme called Mission Indradhanush, which includes (prevention of) Hepatitis B. "Every year we used to increase our immunisation programme by 1%. We realised that if we went at this speed, we won't be able to reach the goal till 2050...

"In one year, we will be able to cover 5% and within three years we will be reaching 90% coverage, from 65%," Nadda said.

The Hepatitis B vaccination programme was launched in 2002-03. "Introduction of HBV vaccine was pilot-tested in 14 cities and 33 districts. It was extended to 10 states in 2007-08. The immunisation was further expanded to cover the entire country in 2011-12," informed Nadda.

Of the 2.6 crore infants born every year in India, about 10 lakh have the lifetime risk of developing chronic Hepatitis B infection. The ministry said despite continuous efforts they found that only 65% children in India had access to all vaccines during the first year of their life. "Today, Routine Immunisation (RI) in India targets 27 million infants and 30 million expecting mothers, saving 3 lakh million lives each year," said CK Mishra, AS & MD of the ministry.

State health minister Dr Deepak Sawant, who was also present at the event, said the state will roll out the Nucleic Acid Test programme in Maharashtra in the next three months, which will ensure that blood free from infections like HIV and Hepatitis B is used for transfusion. He also said pentavalent vaccine was launched in Osmanabad on Sunday.

Bachchan said one should not fear the disease but fight it. "During the 1982 accident, I was given 60 bottles of blood donated by nearly 200 donors. One of them was infected with Hepatitis B. The virus reached my liver and, in 2000, during a routine check-up, I found that only 25% of my liver was functioning. With proper medication I am living a normal life with my family," he added.

The actor said it is high time we dispel the social stigma attached with diseases. "We need awareness, early diagnosis and proper treatment instead of boycotting the person."