Via Times of India :
" CHENNAI: At least one in every twenty-five people living in north Chennai have been tested positive for hepatitis. A random screening of 1,297 people in six different locations of North Chennai by the Madras Medical College showed 61 of them positive for hepatitis. While 44 had hepatitis B,17 were positive for hepatitis C.
Madras Medical College dean Dr S Kanakasabai, who released the results on Wednesday, said the college organised awareness and screening programme (using blood samples) the liver diseases at six locations - Harbour, Seven Wells Street, Wall tax Road, Broadway, Sathya Nagar (War Memorial) and Bharathi Women's College to commemorate World Hepatitis Day, which falls on Thursday. The screening was done for people from the lower socio-economic groups every day for the last one week.
"These patients were apparently healthy. They did not know they were carriers of the disease," said Dr Kanakasabai. The results shocked not only the patients but also many doctors in the college. "We did not expect that more than 4%of the people will be tested positive," he said. Those tested positive will be treated at the Government General Hospital which is attached to the college. Their close relatives will also be screened. The college is also planning to extend the study to across the city."
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