letter: socio-demographic profile of patients with hepatitis b and hepatitis c infections at maswasi, uttar pradesh

Dear editor, viral hepatitis b and hepatitis c are infectious diseases of global importance. according to the world health organization (who), 130 to 170 million people are chronically infected with hepatitis c virus (hcv) and 3 to 4 million new cases of hcv are diagnosed annually worldwide. india is the most infected country with hepatitis b virus (hbv), after china, with 40 million infected people. end stage liver diseases associated with hbv lead to 0.5 - 1.2 million fatalities per year, ranking hbv as the 10th leading cause of death worldwide. most of the people with hbv and hcv infections in india are unaware of their disease; it puts them at a serious risk of developing cirrhosis or liver cancer, which are life threatening. maswasi is the center of rampur district in uttar pradesh state, india. according to 2001 indian census, maswasi had a population of 15 207. males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%.