According to the report, hepatitis infections result in 3,500 deaths globally each day, with 83 percent attributed to hepatitis B and 17 percent to hepatitis C.
What is Hepatitis?
Hepatitis refers to inflammation of the liver, typically caused by viral infections but can also result from other factors such as autoimmune diseases, alcohol abuse, or certain medications and toxins. There are several types of viral hepatitis, including hepatitis A, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, hepatitis D, and hepatitis E. Each type is caused by a different virus, but they all affect the liver and can lead to symptoms such as fatigue, jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. Hepatitis can range from mild, acute illness to chronic and severe conditions, including liver cirrhosis (scarring) and liver cancer. Vaccines are available for hepatitis A and hepatitis B, and treatments exist for hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Prompt diagnosis and appropriate medical care are essential for managing hepatitis and preventing complications.
How to prevent it?
Preventing hepatitis involves several strategies, including vaccination, practicing good hygiene, avoiding risky behaviors, and seeking medical care if needed. Here are some key ways to prevent hepatitis:
- Vaccination: Vaccines are available for hepatitis A and hepatitis B. Getting vaccinated is one of the most effective ways to prevent these types of hepatitis.
- Practice good hygiene: Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after using the bathroom, changing diapers, and before handling food. Avoid sharing personal items such as razors, toothbrushes, and needles.
- Practice safe sex: Use condoms consistently and correctly to reduce the risk of hepatitis B and hepatitis C transmission through sexual contact. Limiting the number of sexual partners and avoiding high-risk sexual behaviors can also help prevent hepatitis.
- Avoid sharing needles: Never share needles or other injection equipment, including syringes, with anyone. If you use drugs, seek help to quit or use sterile needles from a reliable source.
- Be cautious with tattoos and piercings: Ensure that needles and equipment used for tattoos, piercings, and medical procedures are sterile and properly sanitized to prevent hepatitis transmission.
- Be cautious with food and water: Practice food safety measures, such as washing fruits and vegetables thoroughly and avoiding raw or undercooked shellfish. Be cautious when traveling to areas with poor sanitation, and drink only bottled or boiled water.
- Get tested and seek medical care: If you suspect you may have been exposed to hepatitis or are at risk, talk to a healthcare provider about getting tested. Early diagnosis and treatment can help prevent complications and reduce the risk of transmitting the virus to others.
By following these preventive measures, you can reduce the risk of contracting hepatitis and protect your liver health.
World Health Organization (WHO) report:
More than 3,500 individuals succumb to hepatitis viruses every day, and the global death toll is on the rise, as warned by the World Health Organization on Tuesday. This urgent call for action came alongside the release of a WHO report during the World Hepatitis Summit in Portugal this week, revealing new data from 187 countries. The report disclosed that deaths from viral hepatitis escalated from 1.1 million in 2019 to 1.3 million in 2022.
Meg Doherty, who heads the WHO’s global HIV, hepatitis, and sexually-transmitted infection programs, described these trends as “alarming.” The report emphasized that hepatitis infections claim 3,500 lives daily worldwide, with 83 percent attributed to hepatitis B and 17 percent to hepatitis C.
Although there are effective and affordable generic drugs to treat these viruses, the report highlighted that only three percent of individuals with chronic hepatitis B received antiviral treatment by the end of 2022. Similarly, only 20 percent of those with hepatitis C were treated.
Doherty underscored that these results significantly lag behind the global targets to treat 80 percent of all individuals living with chronic hepatitis B and C by 2030. While there was a slight decline in the overall rate of hepatitis infections, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized that the report portrays a troubling scenario.
He noted, “Despite global progress in preventing hepatitis infections, rising deaths indicate that too few people with hepatitis are diagnosed and treated.” The report revealed that Africa accounts for 63 percent of new hepatitis B infections, with less than one in five babies on the continent receiving vaccination at birth.
The UN agency expressed concern over the lack of access to generic hepatitis drugs in affected countries, where often excessive payments are made. According to the report, two-thirds of all hepatitis cases occur in Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia, and Vietnam.
In a statement, the WHO stressed the urgent need for universal access to prevention, diagnosis, and treatment in these ten countries by 2025, alongside intensified efforts in the African region. Viral hepatitis, ranking as the second-biggest infectious killer, closely trails tuberculosis.
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