They say “Health is Wealth”

Summer is here and you can see the “Sharbat wala’s” here and there and specially at bus stops. The other day I noticed a “Chat wala” at the corner of a busy road and I was forced to think how hygienic that food really was? “Not at all” was what I concluded. The “Chat wala” motivated me to share some facts of a research I once did in my masters on “The awareness conditions regarding the vaccination against Hepatitis B.” Hepatitis B is a liver disease which damages the liver and its regular functions and vaccination is not the ultimate solution. Doctors and physicians advice proper care and precaution even after the vaccination. Hepatitis B is not only a physical disease but a social disease as well. It is a fatal epidemic and spreads quickly if proper care and precaution is not practiced.

The research was conducted on a small scale and the results were striking and must to share. A small sample was taken in which half of the respondents were vaccinated whereas half were not. All the respondents belonged to middle class and 60% were highly educated and 40% were graduate or under graduates. Respondents who had great knowledge regarding Hepatitis B and its vaccination were 25% whereas 65% had knowledge to some extent and 10% knew very little about the disease and its vaccination. The source of knowledge of 60% of the respondents was mass media, 10% came to know from doctors and clinics whereas friends and family were the sources of 5% of the respondents and 25% had multiple sources. But only 60% of the respondents consulted doctors regarding the vaccination whereas 40% did not. Even more striking fact was that 70% of the respondents had their family members vaccinated whereas 30% did not. It means that 20% of the respondents realized the importance of the vaccination and vaccinated their families but did not prefer it for themselves. Only 30% of the respondents found the vaccination process complex whereas 70% found no complexity in the vaccination process which means that there are 20% of the respondents who did not find the vaccination process complex but still were not vaccinated. A majority of 70% of the respondents discuss the issue with friends and family whereas 30% did not, at the same time, 40% of the respondents had a friend or relative who was a patient of Hepatitis B whereas 60% knew no patient of Hepatitis B. A great majority of the respondents knew some of the major causes of the disease which are barber’s blade, infected blood transmission, sweat and saliva of the patient but only half of the respondents follow basic precautionary measures and hygiene rules such as clean boiled drinking water, hygienic food, clean atmosphere etc.

The respondents who have not vaccinated themselves gave only a few reasons such as laziness, carelessness, lack of interest and no relative advantage. As the study was conducted on educated and middle class families of the society, cost of the vaccination was not an issue which can be a very vital cause among the less educated and poor class of our society. But majority showed an attitude of carelessness which means lack of interest in good health. It is a very dangerous attitude for an educated class of the society to ignore such vital health issues as it damages to a great deal the general health conditions of our society.

Pakistan is a developing country and desperately in need of a healthy young generation and working force. The general health conditions of the country are very disappointing. Pakistan Medical Association fact sheet stated that Hepatitis B is 100 times more infectious than AIDS. Approximately one out of every 10 individuals carries H.B.V. Only a minor portion of our country’s population have an access to basic health facilities like doctors, hospitals, medicines or vaccines thus for those who do have an access to such precious facilities should worth it and should make a difference through their attitudes. At least the people who are aware of the causes and remedies of such epidemics and also have an access to medical facilities should take proper measures to avoid such fatal diseases. With proper precautions and following basic hygienic rules we as a nation can still fight epidemics, diseases and lack of medical facilities. There is an attitude of carelessness in the masses regarding good health. People are not health conscious and only few consider good health an asset. We are in a desperate need to develop an attitude of proper care and hygiene. The facts of the research shows that majority knows about the causes, remedies and precautionary measure due to great exposure to mass media but very few act according to their knowledge. Very minute portion of our society follow basic hygiene rules or basic precautionary measures which can not only protect us from Hepatitis B but also from other epidemics and diseases. So next time you plan to drink lemon soda in those dirty road side shops which are totally unhygienic, think twice. After all “Health is Wealth”.

-Ms. Sameen Masood