On World Hepatitis Day, officials call for better prevention, treatment efforts

Today marks the first WHO-sponsored World Hepatitis Day, honoring Baruch Blumberg, MD, PhD, who discovered the hepatitis B virus in 1967 and later developed a vaccine against the virus, according to a CDC press release.

“World Hepatitis Day represents a call to action — in the US and around the world — and brings together domestic and global communities to raise awareness of the urgent need for hepatitis prevention, control, care and treatment,” John Ward, MD, director of CDC’s Division of Viral Hepatitis, told Infectious Diseases in Children.

Health organizations, including WHO and the CDC, have collaborated for “a renewed commitment against a largely silent, but persistent epidemic,” according to a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. During 2010, the World Health Assembly passed a resolution to generate worldwide attention to the awareness of hepatitis by appointing governments, international organizations, businesses, civil society and individuals in a shared advocacy effort, according to a CDC press release.

John Ward, MD

“Today, more than 500 million persons worldwide are living with viral hepatitis and do not have adequate access to care — increasing their risk for premature death from liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. Each year, more than 1 million people die from viral hepatitis and millions of new infections add to this global burden of disease and death,” CDC officials wrote.

Despite vaccination, surveillance, education, screening and treatment available to prevent hepatitis infection, CDC officials said most people are unaware of their infection.

“While much progress has been made, more needs to be done, and infectious disease doctors play a critical role in our efforts to prevent and control hepatitis, by providing appropriate vaccination and testing services, as well as providing care and treatment for those who are infected,” Ward said. “Far too many Americans are unaware of the serious impact of this disease and the devastating consequences that can result from leaving it untreated. Over time, leaving viral hepatitis untreated can lead to costly care and treatments, and lifetime costs can total hundreds of thousands of dollars. However, early detection and intervention can be cost-effective and save lives.” – by Ashley DeNyse

For more information:

CDC. MMWR. 2011;60:945.

WHO. World Hepatitis Day, 28 July 2011. Available at: www.who.int/csr/disease/hepatitis/world_hepatitis_day/en/index.html.

Follow the PediatricSuperSite.com on Twitter.