World Hepatitis Day takes places every year on 28 July to raise awareness and promote global action on viral hepatitis.
Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver. There are five main types of the hepatitis virus – A, B, C, D and E. Hepatitis B and C lead to chronic disease in hundreds of millions of people globally, and together are the most common cause of liver cirrhosis, liver cancer and viral hepatitis-related deaths.
As of 2019, an estimated 116 million people in the Western Pacific are living with hepatitis B and 10 million with hepatitis C. While there are evidence-based, effective and safe interventions to diagnose, treat, and prevent chronic hepatitis B and C, most people remain undiagnosed and untreated. In the Western Pacific, only 18% of people living with hepatitis B have been diagnosed and 5% have received treatment. For hepatitis C, 25% of people have been diagnosed and 10% have received treatment.
Bringing hepatitis care closer to you
This year’s theme, “Bringing hepatitis care closer to you”, aims to raise awareness about the need to simplify and bring hepatitis care to primary health facilities, community-based venues and locations beyond hospital sites, so that care is closer to communities and people wherever they are.
The new Global Health Sector Strategies on, respectively, HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections for the period 2022-2030 emphasizes the importance of person-centered care and alignment of systems and integration of services to reach the goal of elimination by 2030. To achieve hepatitis elimination at least 60% of people living with hepatitis B and C must be diagnosed and at least 50% eligible for treatment must be cured (hepatitis C) or receiving treatment (hepatitis B) by 2025.
For this to happen, those in need must have access to hepatitis services that are accessible, and that are equitable, effective, efficient, timely and of an acceptable quality.
5 actions to protect yourself against hepatitis:
- Use sterile injections always
- Use your own razors and blades
- Practise safe sex
- Use safe tattooing and piercing equipment
- Vaccinate infants against Hepatitis B
Source of Info: World Health Organization
Latest Posts
- WHO prequalifies new oral simplified vaccine for cholera
- Call for Research Participants: Public Health Competencies in Nepal: Current Status and Way Forward
- Call for expression of interest: Mobilizing young people in the fight to End TB: WHO 1+1 Initiative
- A Country Report on Measuring access to Assistive technology (AT) in Nepal
- Advanced Module Public Health Systems Challenges and Opportunities: The Case of Nepal
Thanks for visiting us.
Disclaimer: The resources, documents, guidelines, and information on this blog have been collected from various sources and are intended for informational purposes only. Information published on or through this website and affiliated social media channels does not represent the intention, plan, or strategies of an organization that the initiator is associated with in a professional or personal capacity, unless explicitly indicated.
If you have any complaints, information, or suggestions about the content published on Public Health Update, please feel free to contact us at blog.publichealthupdate@gmail.com.
#StayUpdated
