PAKISTAN’s blood supply may be heavily contaminated with hepatitis C virus, researchers in Karachi fear. Sue Fisher-Hoch of the Aga Khan University says she has found an “alarming” rate of infection in a sample of healthy people living in one district of the Punjab. In all, 6.6 per cent of the people in the sample were infected with the virus.
Fisher-Hoch is concerned for the safety of blood donated for transfusion. She says the test to screen for the virus costs $15 in Pakistan, which puts it out of reach of most clinics. The test is made by Chiron, a company based in California.
Hepatitis C virus leads eventually to cancer of the liver and other liver diseases in two-thirds of those infected.
