Leaders, policymakers, communities, and other stakeholders from global, and regional areas arrive collectively to share their contributions and stories from varied perspectives.

The event aims at achieving a hepatitis-free future with this united effort against the public health threat.

The Historical Setup

World Hepatitis Day marks the birthday of Dr. Baruch Blumberg (1925-2011) – the scientist who had discovered the hepatitis B virus in 1967.

Two years later the first hepatitis B vaccine was developed by him that fetched him Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1976. The first Hepatitis C Elimination Program in the world was lanced in 2015, through the partnership of CDC with the country of Georgia.

This additionally led to the designation of Georgia as the first-ever EASL International Liver Foundation Center of Excellence external icon in viral hepatitis elimination.

Key Messages from WHO

For Policymakers:

• Integration of viral hepatitis elimination with other health services can’t wait.
• Funding hepatitis care can’t wait.
• Triple elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, hepatitis B, and syphilis can’t wait.
• Validating hepatitis elimination efforts in countries can’t wait.
• Universal health coverage for all people with hepatitis can’t wait. Starting now means saving lives.

Messages for National Leaders

• Setting national hepatitis elimination targets can’t wait. A world without viral hepatitis by 2030 starts with your country.
• Caring for the most vulnerable people with hepatitis can’t wait. Be it young children or people who inject drugs, some people are more exposed and at risk – their lives matter.
• Scaling up of essential hepatitis services can’t wait.
• Engaging communities in hepatitis services can’t wait.
• Decision-makers can’t wait and must act now to make hepatitis elimination a reality through political will and funding.

Global Motive for World Hepatitis Day 2021

The international day formulates an opportunity for training the people about the burden of these viral liver infections and the means to contend with them.

CDC and the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health, Tbilisi, Georgia (NCDC) had conducted training and lanced the second nationwide hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and COVID-19 serosurvey in June 2021.

The serosurvey strives to furnish information on progress and on-going interventions towards the prevention and elimination of hepatitis B and hepatitis C in Georgia.

The CDC supports various other countries including Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Tanzania to reduce the strain of all types of viral hepatitis through surveillance, testing, care, treatment, and implementation of national control and elimination programs.

Immunization Strategic Framework of CDC

The CDC has also propelled the Global Immunization Strategic Framework 2021-2030 – a roadmap to accomplish advancement toward a hepatitis-free world. The framework assures that everyone is protected from vaccine-preventable, such as hepatitis A and hepatitis B.

The three core goals of the immunization program are:

• 
  Prevent VPDs by strengthening immunization services.
• Detect VPDs by supporting and improving disease surveillance systems.
• Respond to and prepare for VPD outbreaks.

Facts on Hepatitis

• Nearly 1,100,000 deaths are occurring due to hepatitis B and C infections per year.
• 
  The treatment for chronic hepatitis C virus infection is received by 9,400,000 people.
• 
  Around 10% of people with chronic hepatitis B infection get their diagnosis and 22% receive treatment.
• 
  Access to the birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine is among 42 % of children globally.
• 
  There are 10,000 new hepatitis B infection cases every year in America with 23,000 deaths.
• 
  Hepatitis C infection contributes to 67,000 new infection cases and 84,000 deaths in America.

References:

1. World Hepatitis Day 2021 – Hepatitis can’t wait
   – (https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2021/07/28/default-calendar/world-hepatitis-day-2021)
2. World Hepatitis Day 2021 Hepatitis
   – (https://www.worldhepatitisday.org/)
3. World Hepatitis Day 2021
   – (https://www.emcdda.europa.eu/event/2021/07/world-hepatitis-day-2021_en)
4. World Hepatitis Day 2021
   – (https://www.paho.org/en/campaigns/world-hepatitis-day-2021)
5. World Hepatitis Day — July 28th
   – (https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/awareness/worldhepday.htm)
6. World Hepatitis Day Campaign Launched
   – (https://www.worldhepatitisalliance.org/news/may-2021/world-hepatitis-day-campaign-launched)

Source: Medindia