Hepatitis C, a silent threat to the community of Haryana, India: a community-based study.

BACKGROUND Hepatitis C is a global public health problem. As many as 12 million people may be chronically infected in India and most are unaware of it. AIMS To determine the incidence of hepatitis C in the Ratia block of the Fatehabad district, Haryana, India. METHOD This cross-sectional study was carried out by house-tohouse visits over 2 weeks. After obtaining written consent, a blood sample was drawn from suspected cases by a laboratory technician maintaining all necessary safety precautions and sterilization. RESULTS Of the samples, 1,630 (22.3 per cent) were found to be positive for hepatitis C by ELISA, 253 (15.5 per cent) patients were previously hepatitis C positive, and adults (21-60 years) were affected maximally (70.0 per cent). CONCLUSION The study emphasises the need for public awareness campaigns at various levels and prevention of HCV infection. It also suggests the need to develop and strengthen evaluation methodology for the Integrated Disease Surveillance Project (IDSP).