HEPATITIS
Source- the Hindu
Introduction
- July 28th is celebrated as World Hepatitis Day.
- World Health Organization (WHO) is highlighting the need to bring hepatitis care closer to the people in need.
- This means making hepatitis care available, affordable, and accessible to everyone without discrimination.
- By 2030, the global target is to eliminate hepatitis as a public threat.
- Elimination means a 90% reduction in incidence and a 65% reduction in mortality by 2030.
Time of Action
- Hepatitis is the only communicable disease where the mortality rate is showing an increasing trend.
- Approximately 354 million people are suffering from hepatitis B&C throughout the world.
- Southeast Asia has 20% of the global morbidity burden of it hepatitis.
- About 95% of all hepatitis-related deaths are due to cirrhosis & liver cancers caused by the hepatitis B & C virus.
- Viral hepatitis is preventable.
- Clean food, good personal hygiene, along with access to safe water and sanitation can protect from hepatitis A & E.
- Measures to prevent hepatitis B & C need to focus on full coverage with hepatitis B, and C immunization including a birth dose, also access to safe blood, safe sex, and safe needle usage.
- A world free of hepatitis is practical and feasible. There are tools to diagnose, treat, prevent, and eliminate chronic viral hepatitis.
- Safe 7 effective vaccines exist to prevent hepatitis B, and new & powerful antiviral drugs can manage chronic hepatitis B and cure most cases of hepatitis C.
- Early diagnosis and awareness campaigns have the potential to prevent 4.5 million premature deaths in low & middle-income countries by 2030.
- People continue to die because of late diagnosis or lack of appropriate treatment.
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Early diagnosis is the gateway to prevention & successful treatment. |
Treatment
- Modest testing & treatment coverage is the most important gap to be addressed.
- The treatment cascade of the Southeast Asia region, is about only 10% of people with hepatitis know their status and only 5% are on treatment.
- Of the estimated 10.5 million people with hepatitis C, just 7% know their status, of which 1/5 are on treatment.
- This year’s World Hepatitis Day campaign is all about patching up this gap.
- Since 2016, when the Action Plan for viral hepatitis 2016-2021 has launched, 9 countries achieved more than 90% of coverage of the 3rd dose of hepatitis B vaccine.
- 4 countries achieved the hepatitis B control target of less than 1% seroprevalence among children over years of age.
Transitional Targets
On route to the 2030 target of eliminating hepatitis, there are some transitional targets to be achieved.
- By 2025, new infections of hepatitis B, and C must be reduced by half, reduce deaths from liver cancer by 40%, ensure that 60% of people living with hepatitis B & C are diagnosed, half of those are eligible for proper treatment.
- Enhancing political commitment to ensure sustained domestic funding for hepatitis; improve access to drugs & diagnostics by further reducing prices; develop communication strategies to increase awareness; innovate service delivery to maximize the use of differentiated and people-centred service delivery options across HIV, Viral hepatitis, STIs to tailor and deliver services according to people’s needs.
- Decentralizing hepatitis care to peripheral health facilities, community-based venues, and locations beyond hospital sites brings care to patients' homes.
RAP-2022-2026
- For the 1st time, an integrated Regional Action Plan for viral hepatitis, HIV, and STIs 2022-26 is developed by WHO.
- This will ensure effective & efficient utilization of limited resources available for the region and will guide countries to adopt a person-centred approach rather than a disease-specific one.
Epilogue
We must act together with communities for a future free of hepatitis. This will lay a firm foundation for a healthier, more equitable world.
