Hepatitis B, a viral disease, about which little is known, and which is lethal to humans, caused havoc in 62-year-old Nagpur resident Shravan Satpal's life. Satpal (62), a senior official with the state department of culture, was looking forward to a peaceful retired life. But it was not to be. He contracted Hepatitis B, and it got so worse that his damaged liver had to be removed.

Hepatitis B is a viral infection that spreads through infected blood, syringes and body fluids. His wife, Malti, stepped forward and donated a part of her liver to him. Satpal underwent the liver transplant surgery at a private hospital in Mumbai on May 22 earlier this year. He and his wife are still reeling under the trauma of his having undergone a major invasive surgery that lasted for close to fourteen hours. Add to that the exorbitant cost of getting treated. Satpal had to spend close to Rs 15 lakhs for treatment.

"I don't remember how the virus got into my system. I remember having donated blood at least six times, ten to twenty years ago, during various occasions, when my relatives were in need of help," said Satpal.

Six months ago, Satpal developed jaundice. This is a commonly-occurring manifestation of the milder Hepatitis A and E viruses as well as the more dangerous Hepatitis B and C viruses. "Earlier the doctors in Nagpur treated my jaundice without conducting any tests for a specific type of Hepatitis virus. The jaundice receded for a while, but then water began accumulating in my stomach. Alarmed, the doctors referred me to hospitals in Mumbai, where I had to undergo a liver transplant surgery, as a part of my liver had worsened due to the slow-spreading, silent virus. This complication cropped up suddenly in later months," said Satpal.

Dr Ravi Mohanka, liver transplant surgeon at Global Hospital in Parel said, "Twenty percent of patients that need a liver transplant are infected with Hepatitis B. Their condition worsens over a period of 15-20 years and they ultimately land up under the scalpel for a complicated surgery."

Satpal regrets that he had not gotten adequately vaccinated against Hepatitis B. "I had taken only one of three doses of vaccination. I had attended a medical camp in the neighbourhood a couple of years ago, but did not take the full dose, which has to be administered in stages. After the first dose, I started touring for my work and left the vaccination half way through. I still regret the mistake."

Vaccination for Hepatitis B is compulsorily included in the central government's Indradhanush Universal Immunization programme for children. But people have a lacklaidisical approach towards it, and hardly 65% of the children in India are currently immunized.

"Twenty to thirty years down the line, the problem of Hepatitis will be eliminated from India, but currently we need proper screening and treatment facilities for patients. This is a pressing requirement," said Dr Mohanka.