WHO Encourages Action to Reduce Deaths from Viral Hepatitis

World Health Organization today said viral hepatitis kills more than three lakh people every year in South East Asian region, including India, even as it asserted that it will release the first hepatitis testing guidelines this year to scale up the testing and treatment of the disease.

For the 3.5 million people infected with the hepatitis C virus in the United States, time is of the essence.

“The world has ignored hepatitis at its peril”, says Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General.

He said viral hepatitis, including A, B, and C, were distinct diseases that usually affect the liver and manifest different symptoms and treatments. According to data from Taiwan’s Ministry of Health and Welfare, every year 13,000 people die from hepatitis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer in Taiwan. WHO’s decision-making body, the World Health Assembly in the month of May 2016 – called for treating eight million people for hepatitis B or C by 2020, to reduce new infections by 90 percent, and to cut down the death rate by 65 percent in 2030.

Ms Tyrell attributed the growing number of people seeking medication to the ease of accessing treatment.

Thursday marks World Hepatitis Day, and with more than 230,000 Australians living with hepatitis C, the virus is considered a major public health issue.

After the initial shot with the first 24 hours of life, succeeding doses should be administered to infants at age 1½ month, 2½ months and 3½ months in the form of a pentavalent vaccine against diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, Haemophilus influenzae B and Hepatitis B. “Hepatitis A and E are self limiting and transferred via faeco-oral route, but the real killers are the hepatitis B and C viruses with the main hope being vaccination”, Oni adds. He urged that before blood transfusion people should ensure blood screening to check hepatitis B and C. It can also be spread through sex or via injecting drugs.

“Early detection and access to quality medicines at accessible prices could prevent many complications such as cirrhosis and liver cancer, saving many lives and increasing the quality of life for people”, Ghidinelli said.

Australia is on track to eliminate hepatitis C in 10 years because of the rapid uptake of the new class of antivirals.

Common modes of transmission for these viruses include receipt of contaminated blood or blood products, invasive medical procedures using contaminated equipment and for hepatitis B transmission from mother to baby at birth, from family member to child, and also by sexual contact, states the explainer by WHO.

According to Dr Augustine, “Conventional treatment for hepatitis-C was an expensive injection”.

If you are in one of these high-risk groups, talk to your health care provider and your loved ones about protecting yourself from hepatitis B and C.