‘It’s closer than you think’ is the theme of this year’s World Hepatitis Day, which was observed on Saturday last. Despite its staggering toll on health, hepatitis remains a group of diseases that are largely unknown, undiagnosed and untreated. Under the World Hepatitis Day theme, WHO is urging governments to strengthen efforts to fight viral hepatitis – an inflammation of the liver that kills about one million people every year. In addition, an estimated 500 million people experience chronic illness from their infection with hepatitis; it is a major cause of liver cancer and liver cirrhosis.
Given the scale of the epidemic; 1 in 12 people chronically infected, and recent advances in prevention and treatment, the World Health Assembly in 2010 designated July 28 as World Hepatitis Day. The Day serves to promote greater understanding of hepatitis as a global public health problem and to stimulate the strengthening of preventive and control measures against infection in countries throughout the world.
According to Dr Sylvie Briand of WHO’s Pandemic and Epidemic Disease Department, “The vast majority of people infected with hepatitis are unaware, undiagnosed and untreated.”  And, “Only by increasing awareness of the different forms of hepatitis, and how they can be prevented and treated, can we take the first step towards full control of the disease and save thousands of lives.”
Recognizing the tremendous burden caused by viral hepatitis, the World Health Assembly adopted resolution WHA63.18 in 2010, calling for a comprehensive approach to the prevention and control of viral hepatitis.
Following the resolution, WHO established the Global Hepatitis Programme with the following goals: to reduce the transmission of agents that cause viral hepatitis; to reduce the morbidity and mortality due to viral hepatitis through improving the care of patients with viral hepatitis; and to reduce the socio-economic impact of viral hepatitis at individual, community and population levels.
There are five hepatitis viruses defined by types – A, B, C, D and E. Types B and C are of significant concern since a high proportion of people infected with these viruses may not experience symptoms at the early stage of the disease. Such persons only become aware of their infection when they are chronically ill which can sometimes be decades after infection. In addition, these two viruses account for almost 80% of all liver cancer cases and are the leading cause of liver cirrhosis and cancer.
Types B, C and D are contracted through the blood of an infected person; e.g. through unsafe injections or unscreened blood transfusions and in the case of hepatitis B and C, also through unprotected sex.
Type D only infects persons who are already infected with type B.
Types A and E are typically transmitted via contaminated water or food and closely associated with poor sanitation and poor personal hygiene like unwashed hands.
Effective vaccines are available for all the virus types, except C.
In preparation for this year’s World Hepatitis Day, WHO launched a new global framework to tackle the disease.
Raising awareness, together with promoting partnerships and mobilizing resources constitute the first of the four priorities in WHO’s new framework. The others are: transforming scientific evidence into policy and action; preventing transmission; and screening, care and treatment.
WHO will work with its member states and partners on all four priority areas of the framework to help expand access to prevention, care and treatment programmes to people who need it. The framework will guide the development of regional and country-specific strategies to combat hepatitis.