UN focuses on global efforts to prevent and defeat hepatitis

(July 28, 2011) The United Nations is holding 28^th of July as the World Hepatitis Day for the first time to bring attention to the disease that affects almost one in every three persons on Earth. “We know what needs to be done,” said Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO). “Viral hepatitis is one of the most prevalent and serious infectious diseases in the world. It deserves much more attention, understanding and action.” The World Hepatitis Alliance, a non-governmental organization, has been marking 28 July as a day of awareness of the disease since 2008. The WHO’s governing body voted in 2010 to join the effort with a worldwide programme of posters, radio and television spots and social media information campaigns. The theme of the campaign – “Know it, confront it. Hepatitis affects everyone, everywhere” – was designed to highlight the fact that more than two billion people have been infected by the virus, and each year nearly one million deaths are attributed to viral hepatitis infections. Dr. Chan said WHO’s first recommendation in the battle against the disease is to get tested, as millions of people carry the disease without any symptoms, but could develop life-threatening diseases later in life. WHO also calls for increased vaccinations for the strains that can be stopped by immunization, better screening for blood transfers and the use of sterile equipment in medical facilities. According to WHO, hepatitis A occurs when a person eats or drinks something contaminated and is associated with inadequate sanitation and poor personal hygiene. Hepatitis B, which is transmitted through contact with the blood or other body fluids of an infected person, is a viral infection that attacks the liver and can cause both acute and chronic disease. About 2 billion people worldwide have been infected with the virus. The virus, 50 to 100 times more infectious than HIV, is preventable with a vaccine.