The world is facing a new outbreak of “unexplained acute hepatitis infections” affecting children, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Thursday, World Hepatitis Day.
The current outbreak draws attention to the thousands of acute viral hepatitis infections that occur in children, adolescents and adults each year.
Treat hepatitis
WHO, together with scientists and policy makers in affected countries, is working to understand the cause of this infection, which does not appear to be caused by any of the five types of hepatitis virus: A, B, C, D and E.
Although the world has guidelines and tools for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of chronic viral hepatitis, these services are often not available to communities and are sometimes only available in centralized or specialized hospitals. Read also : Republicans block Senate bill adoption to ensure freedom of travel through abortion states.
“To be most effective, hepatitis care must be delivered in communities through strong primary health care and integrated with other health services that address health needs,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus in his message for World Hepatitis Day.
At risk
Although most acute infections cause mild illness and go undetected, some can cause complications and be fatal.
In 2019 alone, complications from acute hepatitis A and E infections caused 78,000 deaths worldwide. On the same subject : To launch a mental health program for firefighters to boost fire spending – Oregon Capital Chronicle.
Global efforts prioritize the elimination of hepatitis B, C and D infections.
Unlike acute viral hepatitis, B, C, and D cause chronic disease that lasts for decades, resulting in more than a million deaths each year from cirrhosis and liver cancer. And they are responsible for over 95 percent of hepatitis deaths.
Death every 30 seconds
“Every 30 seconds, someone dies from hepatitis-related diseases, including liver failure, cirrhosis and cancer,” the WHO chief said. This may interest you : JADA introduces a series of comments on global oral health.
In addition, 80 percent of people with the disease cannot receive or pay for care.
With the goal of eliminating hepatitis by 2030, the UN health agency has asked countries to achieve four specific goals.
Aims to reduce new hepatitis B and C infections by 90 percent; a 65% reduction in hepatitis-related deaths from liver cirrhosis and cancer; Ensure that at least 90 percent of people with hepatitis B and C virus are diagnosed; and at least 80 percent of those who have the right receive adequate treatment.
“Low coverage of testing and treatment is the most important gap that needs to be addressed in order to achieve global elimination targets by 2030,” according to the WHO.
Call to action
The WHO is calling on all governments and partners to “increase the use of effective tools” against the potentially deadly disease.
Tedros drew attention to a new WHO report showing how Brazil, Egypt, Georgia, Mongolia, Rwanda, Thailand and the UK are making progress towards eliminating hepatitis B and C by applying the UN health agency’s tools and guidelines.
“With political commitment and investment, the elimination of viral hepatitis is within our power,” he said.
July spotlight
The day aims to raise awareness about viral hepatitis, which causes inflammation of the liver, a serious disease that can lead to liver cancer.
It also offers an opportunity to scale up national and international efforts around the infection, mobilizing individuals, partners and citizens to act and underlines the need for a greater global response, as outlined in the WHO Global Hepatitis Report 2017.
This year, the WHO emphasizes the importance of bringing hepatitis care closer to primary health facilities and communities for better treatment, regardless of the type of hepatitis.
The date of July 28 was chosen because it is the birthday of Nobel Prize winning scientist Baruch Blumberg, who discovered the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and developed a diagnostic test and vaccine against the virus.
