Test and treat for Hepatitis is the need of the hour, says WHO regional director
On the eve of World Hepatitis Day, World Health Organisation has emphasised the urgent need to test and treat for liver infections.
In a statement WHO regional director for South East Asia Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh said: “Millions of people across the world and in the WHO South-East Asia Region are infected with viral hepatitis without knowing and without receiving treatment. Both worldwide and in the Region less than one in 10 infected people are estimated to know their status, while less than 10% of those who do know their status are receiving appropriate treatment.”
She added that this lack of awareness and treatment lead to progressive liver damage and can cause life-threatening conditions such as fibrosis and liver cancer, resulting in an estimated 410 000 deaths in the region every year.
Region-wide, an estimated 40 million people live with chronic hepatitis B while an estimated 10 million live with chronic hepatitis C
It also allows viral hepatitis to spread: Region-wide, an estimated 40 million people live with chronic hepatitis B while an estimated 10 million live with chronic hepatitis C.
“Urgent action is needed to find, test and treat the missing millions suffering viral hepatitis and achieve the time-bound targets of WHO South-East Asia’s Regional Action Plan. That includes ensuring at least 50% of infected people know their status and at least 75% of those diagnosed with the disease are provided treatment by 2020,” she added.
The need of the hour, according to WHO is that 90% or more of newborns should receive the hepatitis B vaccine’s birth dose, while at least 95% of children should complete the vaccine’s three-dose schedule. Increased injection safety in health facilities is likewise critical.
To achieve these outcomes and eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030, as envisaged in WHO’s Global Health Sector Strategy on Viral Hepatitis, greater awareness among high-risk groups and the general public is key.
