KABUL, April 11 (Xinhua) -- At least 26,000 people have been infected with the hepatitis B and C viruses in Afghanistan in the past two years, local media outlet Pajhwok Afghan News reported Thursday.
"Nearly 17,600 people were infected with hepatitis viruses in the Persian calendar year of 1402, while the number of people suffering from the viruses in 1401 was 8,343," Sharafat Zaman Amarkhil, spokesperson of the Ministry of Public Health, was quoted as saying.
Lack of public awareness and hygiene care, presence of addicts, as well as delayed or wrong treatment were among the reasons for the spread of the hepatitis viruses in the Central Asian country, according to Amarkhil.
The year of 1403 in the Persian calendar started on March 20, 2024, in Afghanistan. ■
