HEPATITIS B
18 July 2019
18 July 2019
Key facts
· Hepatitis B is a viral infection that attacks the liver and can cause
both acute and chronic disease.
· The virus is most commonly transmitted from mother to child during birth
and delivery, as well as through contact with blood or other body fluids.
· WHO estimates that in 2015, 257 million people were living with chronic
hepatitis B infection (defined as hepatitis B surface antigen positive).
·
In 2015, hepatitis B resulted in an estimated 887 000 deaths, mostly from
cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (i.e. primary liver cancer).
· As of 2016, 27 million people (10.5% of all people estimated to be living
with hepatitis B) were aware of their infection, while 4.5 million (16.7%) of
the people diagnosed were on treatment.
·
Hepatitis B can be prevented by vaccines that are safe, available and
effective.
Hepatitis B is a
potentially life-threatening liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus
(HBV). It is a major global health problem. It can cause chronic infection and
puts people at high risk of death from cirrhosis and liver cancer.
A safe and effective vaccine that offers a 98-100% protection
against hepatitis B is available. Preventing hepatitis B infection averts the
development of complications including the development of chronic disease and
liver cancer.
Geographical distribution
Hepatitis B prevalence is highest in the WHO Western Pacific
Region and the WHO African Region, where 6.2% and 6.1% of the adult population
is infected respectively. In the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region, the WHO South-East
Asia Region and the WHO European Region, an estimated 3.3%, 2.0% and 1.6% of
the general population is infected, respectively. And in the WHO Region of the
Americas, 0.7% of the population is infected.
Transmission
In highly endemic areas, hepatitis B is most commonly spread
from mother to child at birth (perinatal transmission), or through horizontal
transmission (exposure to infected blood), especially from an infected child to
an uninfected child during the first 5 years of life. The development of
chronic infection is very common in infants infected from their mothers or
before the age of 5 years.
Hepatitis B is also spread by needlestick injury, tattooing,
piercing and exposure to infected blood and body fluids, such as saliva and,
menstrual, vaginal, and seminal fluids. Sexual transmission of hepatitis B may
occur, particularly in unvaccinated men who have sex with men and heterosexual
persons with multiple sex partners or contact with sex workers.
Infection in adulthood leads to chronic hepatitis in less than
5% of cases, whereas infection in infancy and early childhood leads to chronic
hepatitis in about 95% of cases. Transmission of the virus may also occur
through the reuse of needles and syringes either in health-care settings or
among persons who inject drugs. In addition, infection can occur during
medical, surgical and dental procedures, through tattooing, or through the use
of razors and similar objects that are contaminated with infected blood.
The hepatitis B virus can survive outside the body for at least
7 days. During this time, the virus can still cause infection if it enters the
body of a person who is not protected by the vaccine. The incubation period of
the hepatitis B virus is 75 days on average, but can vary from 30 to 180 days.
The virus may be detected within 30 to 60 days after infection and can persist
and develop into chronic hepatitis B.
Symptoms
Most people do not experience any symptoms when newly infected.
However, some people have acute illness with symptoms that last several weeks,
including yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice), dark urine, extreme
fatigue, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. A small subset of persons with
acute hepatitis can develop acute liver failure, which can lead to death.
In some people, the hepatitis B virus can also cause a chronic
liver infection that can later develop into cirrhosis (a scarring of the liver)
or liver cancer.
Who is at risk of chronic disease?
The likelihood that infection becomes chronic depends on the age
at which a person becomes infected. Children less than 6 years of age who
become infected with the hepatitis B virus are the most likely to develop
chronic infections.
In infants and children:
·
80–90% of infants
infected during the first year of life develop chronic infections; and
·
30–50% of children
infected before the age of 6 years develop chronic infections.
In adults:
·
less than 5% of
otherwise healthy persons who are infected as adults will develop chronic
infections; and
·
20–30% of adults who
are chronically infected will develop cirrhosis and/or liver cancer.
HBV-HIV coinfection
About 1% of persons living with HBV infection (2.7 million
people) are also infected with HIV. Conversely, the global prevalence of HBV
infection in HIV-infected persons is 7.4%. Since 2015, WHO has recommended
treatment for everyone diagnosed with HIV infection, regardless of the stage of
disease. Tenofovir, which is included in the treatment combinations recommended
as first-line therapy for HIV infection, is also active against HBV.
Diagnosis
It is not possible, on clinical grounds, to differentiate
hepatitis B from hepatitis caused by other viral agents, hence, laboratory
confirmation of the diagnosis is essential. A number of blood tests are
available to diagnose and monitor people with hepatitis B. They can be used to
distinguish acute and chronic infections.
Laboratory diagnosis of hepatitis B infection focuses on the
detection of the hepatitis B surface antigen HBsAg. WHO recommends that all
blood donations be tested for hepatitis B to ensure blood safety and avoid
accidental transmission to people who receive blood products.
·
Acute HBV infection is
characterized by the presence of HBsAg and immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibody to
the core antigen, HBcAg. During the initial phase of infection, patients are
also seropositive for hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg). HBeAg is usually a marker
of high levels of replication of the virus. The presence of HBeAg indicates
that the blood and body fluids of the infected individual are highly
infectious.
·
Chronic infection is
characterized by the persistence of HBsAg for at least 6 months (with or
without concurrent HBeAg). Persistence of HBsAg is the principal marker of risk
for developing chronic liver disease and liver cancer (hepatocellular
carcinoma) later in life.
Treatment
There is no specific treatment for acute hepatitis
B. Therefore, care is aimed at maintaining comfort and adequate nutritional
balance, including replacement of fluids lost from vomiting and diarrhoea. Most
important is the avoidance of unnecessary medications.
Acetaminophen/Paracetamol and medication against vomiting should not be given.
Chronic hepatitis
B infection can be treated with medicines, including oral antiviral agents.
Treatment can slow the progression of cirrhosis, reduce incidence of liver
cancer and improve long term survival. Only a proportion (estimates vary from
10% to 40% depending on setting and eligibility criteria) of people with
chronic hepatitis B infection will require treatment.
WHO recommends the use of oral treatments - tenofovir or
entecavir- as the most potent drugs to suppress hepatitis B virus. They rarely
lead to drug resistance compared with other drugs, are simple to take (1 pill a
day), and have few side effects, so require only limited monitoring.
Entecavir is off-patent. In 2017, all low- and middle-income
countries could legally procure generic entecavir, but the costs and
availability varied widely. Tenofovir is no longer protected by a patent
anywhere in the world. The median price of WHO-prequalified generic tenofovir
on the international market fell from US$ 208 per year to US$ 32 per year in
2016.
In most people, however, the treatment does not cure hepatitis B
infection, but only suppresses the replication of the virus. Therefore, most
people who start hepatitis B treatment must continue it for life.
There is still limited access to diagnosis and treatment of
hepatitis B in many resource-constrained settings. In 2016, of the 257 million
people living with HBV infection, 10.5% (27 million) were aware of their
infection. Of those diagnosed, the global treatment coverage is 16.7% (4.5
million). Many people are diagnosed only when they already have advanced liver
disease.
Among the long-term complications of HBV infections, cirrhosis
and hepatocellular carcinoma cause a large disease burden. Liver cancer
progresses rapidly, and since treatment options are limited, the outcome is
generally poor. In low-income settings, most people with liver cancer die
within months of diagnosis. In high-income countries, surgery and chemotherapy
can prolong life for up to a few years. Liver transplantation is sometimes used
in people with cirrhosis in high income countries, with varying success.
Prevention
The hepatitis B vaccine is the mainstay of hepatitis B
prevention. WHO recommends that all infants receive the hepatitis B vaccine as
soon as possible after birth, preferably within 24 hours. Routine infant
immunization against hepatitis B has increased globally with an estimated
coverage (third dose) of 84% in 2017. The low prevalence of chronic HBV
infection in children under 5 years of age, estimated at 1.3% in 2015, can be
attributed to the widespread use of hepatitis B vaccine. In most cases, 1 of the
following 2 options is considered appropriate:
·
a 3-dose schedule of
hepatitis B vaccine, with the first dose (monovalent) given at birth and the
second and third doses (monovalent or combined vaccine) given at the same time
as the first and third doses of diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), and
tetanus – (DTP vaccine); or
·
a 4-dose schedule,
where a monovalent birth dose is followed by 3 monovalent or combined vaccine
doses, usually given with other routine infant vaccines.
The complete vaccine series induces protective antibody levels
in more than 95% of infants, children and young adults. Protection lasts at
least 20 years and is probably lifelong. Thus, WHO does not recommend booster
vaccinations for persons who have completed the 3 dose vaccination schedule.
All children and adolescents younger than 18 years and not
previously vaccinated should receive the vaccine if they live in countries
where there is low or intermediate endemicity. In those settings it is possible
that more people in high-risk groups may acquire the infection and they should
also be vaccinated. This includes:
·
people who frequently
require blood or blood products, dialysis patients and recipients of solid
organ transplantations;
·
people in prisons;
·
people who inject
drugs;
·
household and sexual
contacts of people with chronic HBV infection;
·
people with multiple
sexual partners;
·
healthcare workers and
others who may be exposed to blood and blood products through their work; and
·
travellers who have
not completed their HBV series, who should be offered the vaccine before
leaving for endemic areas.
The vaccine has an excellent record of safety and effectiveness.
Since 1982, over 1 billion doses of hepatitis B vaccine have been used
worldwide. In many countries where 8–15% of children used to become chronically
infected with the hepatitis B virus, vaccination has reduced the rate of
chronic infection to less than 1% among immunized children.
In addition to infant vaccination, implementation of blood
safety strategies, including quality-assured screening of all donated blood and
blood components used for transfusion, can prevent transmission of HBV.
Worldwide, in 2013, 97% of blood donations were screened and quality assured,
but gaps persist. Safe injection practices, eliminating unnecessary and unsafe
injections, can be effective strategies to protect against HBV transmission.
Unsafe injections decreased from 39% in 2000 to 5% in 2010 worldwide.
Furthermore, safer sex practices, including minimizing the number of partners
and using barrier protective measures (condoms), also protect against
transmission.
WHO response
In March 2015, WHO launched its first "Guidelines
for the prevention, care and treatment of persons living with chronic hepatitis
B infection". The recommendations include:
·
promote the use of
simple, non-invasive diagnostic tests to assess the stage of liver disease and
eligibility for treatment;
·
prioritize treatment
for those with the most advanced liver disease and at greatest risk of
mortality; and
·
recommend the
preferred use of the nucleos(t)ide analogues with a high barrier to drug
resistance (tenofovir and entecavir, and entecavir in children aged 2–11 years)
for first- and second-line treatment.
These guidelines also recommend lifelong treatment for those
with cirrhosis and those with high HBV DNA and evidence of liver inflammation,
and regular monitoring for those on treatment, as well as those not yet on
treatment for disease progression, indications for treatment and early
detection of liver cancer.
In May 2016, the World Health Assembly adopted the first "Global
health sector strategy on viral hepatitis, 2016-2020". The strategy
highlights the critical role of universal health coverage and sets targets that
align with those of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The strategy has a vision to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health problem. This is encapsulated in the global targets to reduce new viral hepatitis infections by 90% and reduce deaths due to viral hepatitis by 65% by 2030. Actions to be taken by countries and the WHO Secretariat to reach these targets are outlined in the strategy.
The strategy has a vision to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health problem. This is encapsulated in the global targets to reduce new viral hepatitis infections by 90% and reduce deaths due to viral hepatitis by 65% by 2030. Actions to be taken by countries and the WHO Secretariat to reach these targets are outlined in the strategy.
To support countries in achieving the global hepatitis
elimination targets under the Sustainable Development Agenda 2030, WHO is
working to:
·
raise awareness,
promote partnerships and mobilize resources;
·
formulate
evidence-based policy and data for action;
·
prevent transmission;
and
·
scale up screening,
care and treatment services.
WHO recently published the “Progress report on HIV, viral
hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections, 2019”, outlining its progress
towards elimination. The report sets out global statistics on viral hepatitis B
and C, the rates of new infections, the prevalence of chronic infections and
mortality caused by these 2 high-burden viruses, and coverage of key
interventions, all current as at the end of 2016 and 2017.
Since 2011, together with national governments, partners and
civil society, WHO has organized annual World Hepatitis Day campaigns (as 1 of
its 9 flagship annual health campaigns) to increase awareness and understanding
of viral hepatitis. The date of 28 July was chosen because it is the birthday
of Nobel-prize winning scientist Dr Baruch Bloomberg, who discovered the
hepatitis B virus and developed a diagnostic test and vaccine for it.
·
For World Hepatitis
Day 2019, WHO is focusing on the theme “Invest in eliminating hepatitis” to
highlight the need for increased domestic and international funding to scale up
hepatitis prevention, testing and treatment services, in order to achieve the
2030 elimination targets.
18
July 2019
Key facts
· Hepatitis B is a viral infection that attacks the liver and can cause
both acute and chronic disease.
· The virus is most commonly transmitted from mother to child during birth
and delivery, as well as through contact with blood or other body fluids.
· WHO estimates that in 2015, 257 million people were living with chronic
hepatitis B infection (defined as hepatitis B surface antigen positive).
· In 2015, hepatitis B resulted in an estimated 887 000 deaths, mostly from
cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (i.e. primary liver cancer).
· As of 2016, 27 million people (10.5% of all people estimated to be living
with hepatitis B) were aware of their infection, while 4.5 million (16.7%) of
the people diagnosed were on treatment.
· Hepatitis B can be prevented by vaccines that are safe, available and
effective.
Hepatitis B is a
potentially life-threatening liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus
(HBV). It is a major global health problem. It can cause chronic infection and
puts people at high risk of death from cirrhosis and liver cancer.
A safe and effective vaccine that offers a 98-100% protection
against hepatitis B is available. Preventing hepatitis B infection averts the
development of complications including the development of chronic disease and
liver cancer.
Geographical distribution
Hepatitis B prevalence is highest in the WHO Western Pacific
Region and the WHO African Region, where 6.2% and 6.1% of the adult population
is infected respectively. In the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region, the WHO South-East
Asia Region and the WHO European Region, an estimated 3.3%, 2.0% and 1.6% of
the general population is infected, respectively. And in the WHO Region of the
Americas, 0.7% of the population is infected.
Transmission
In highly endemic areas, hepatitis B is most commonly spread
from mother to child at birth (perinatal transmission), or through horizontal
transmission (exposure to infected blood), especially from an infected child to
an uninfected child during the first 5 years of life. The development of
chronic infection is very common in infants infected from their mothers or
before the age of 5 years.
Hepatitis B is also spread by needlestick injury, tattooing,
piercing and exposure to infected blood and body fluids, such as saliva and,
menstrual, vaginal, and seminal fluids. Sexual transmission of hepatitis B may
occur, particularly in unvaccinated men who have sex with men and heterosexual
persons with multiple sex partners or contact with sex workers.
Infection in adulthood leads to chronic hepatitis in less than
5% of cases, whereas infection in infancy and early childhood leads to chronic
hepatitis in about 95% of cases. Transmission of the virus may also occur
through the reuse of needles and syringes either in health-care settings or
among persons who inject drugs. In addition, infection can occur during
medical, surgical and dental procedures, through tattooing, or through the use
of razors and similar objects that are contaminated with infected blood.
The hepatitis B virus can survive outside the body for at least
7 days. During this time, the virus can still cause infection if it enters the
body of a person who is not protected by the vaccine. The incubation period of
the hepatitis B virus is 75 days on average, but can vary from 30 to 180 days.
The virus may be detected within 30 to 60 days after infection and can persist
and develop into chronic hepatitis B.
Symptoms
Most people do not experience any symptoms when newly infected.
However, some people have acute illness with symptoms that last several weeks,
including yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice), dark urine, extreme
fatigue, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. A small subset of persons with
acute hepatitis can develop acute liver failure, which can lead to death.
In some people, the hepatitis B virus can also cause a chronic
liver infection that can later develop into cirrhosis (a scarring of the liver)
or liver cancer.
Who is at risk of chronic disease?
The likelihood that infection becomes chronic depends on the age
at which a person becomes infected. Children less than 6 years of age who
become infected with the hepatitis B virus are the most likely to develop
chronic infections.
In infants and children:
·
80–90% of infants
infected during the first year of life develop chronic infections; and
·
30–50% of children
infected before the age of 6 years develop chronic infections.
In adults:
·
less than 5% of
otherwise healthy persons who are infected as adults will develop chronic
infections; and
·
20–30% of adults who
are chronically infected will develop cirrhosis and/or liver cancer.
HBV-HIV coinfection
About 1% of persons living with HBV infection (2.7 million
people) are also infected with HIV. Conversely, the global prevalence of HBV
infection in HIV-infected persons is 7.4%. Since 2015, WHO has recommended
treatment for everyone diagnosed with HIV infection, regardless of the stage of
disease. Tenofovir, which is included in the treatment combinations recommended
as first-line therapy for HIV infection, is also active against HBV.
Diagnosis
It is not possible, on clinical grounds, to differentiate
hepatitis B from hepatitis caused by other viral agents, hence, laboratory
confirmation of the diagnosis is essential. A number of blood tests are
available to diagnose and monitor people with hepatitis B. They can be used to
distinguish acute and chronic infections.
Laboratory diagnosis of hepatitis B infection focuses on the
detection of the hepatitis B surface antigen HBsAg. WHO recommends that all
blood donations be tested for hepatitis B to ensure blood safety and avoid
accidental transmission to people who receive blood products.
·
Acute HBV infection is
characterized by the presence of HBsAg and immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibody to
the core antigen, HBcAg. During the initial phase of infection, patients are
also seropositive for hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg). HBeAg is usually a marker
of high levels of replication of the virus. The presence of HBeAg indicates
that the blood and body fluids of the infected individual are highly
infectious.
·
Chronic infection is
characterized by the persistence of HBsAg for at least 6 months (with or
without concurrent HBeAg). Persistence of HBsAg is the principal marker of risk
for developing chronic liver disease and liver cancer (hepatocellular
carcinoma) later in life.
Treatment
There is no specific treatment for acute hepatitis
B. Therefore, care is aimed at maintaining comfort and adequate nutritional
balance, including replacement of fluids lost from vomiting and diarrhoea. Most
important is the avoidance of unnecessary medications.
Acetaminophen/Paracetamol and medication against vomiting should not be given.
Chronic hepatitis
B infection can be treated with medicines, including oral antiviral agents.
Treatment can slow the progression of cirrhosis, reduce incidence of liver
cancer and improve long term survival. Only a proportion (estimates vary from
10% to 40% depending on setting and eligibility criteria) of people with
chronic hepatitis B infection will require treatment.
WHO recommends the use of oral treatments - tenofovir or
entecavir- as the most potent drugs to suppress hepatitis B virus. They rarely
lead to drug resistance compared with other drugs, are simple to take (1 pill a
day), and have few side effects, so require only limited monitoring.
Entecavir is off-patent. In 2017, all low- and middle-income
countries could legally procure generic entecavir, but the costs and
availability varied widely. Tenofovir is no longer protected by a patent
anywhere in the world. The median price of WHO-prequalified generic tenofovir
on the international market fell from US$ 208 per year to US$ 32 per year in
2016.
In most people, however, the treatment does not cure hepatitis B
infection, but only suppresses the replication of the virus. Therefore, most
people who start hepatitis B treatment must continue it for life.
There is still limited access to diagnosis and treatment of
hepatitis B in many resource-constrained settings. In 2016, of the 257 million
people living with HBV infection, 10.5% (27 million) were aware of their
infection. Of those diagnosed, the global treatment coverage is 16.7% (4.5
million). Many people are diagnosed only when they already have advanced liver
disease.
Among the long-term complications of HBV infections, cirrhosis
and hepatocellular carcinoma cause a large disease burden. Liver cancer
progresses rapidly, and since treatment options are limited, the outcome is
generally poor. In low-income settings, most people with liver cancer die
within months of diagnosis. In high-income countries, surgery and chemotherapy
can prolong life for up to a few years. Liver transplantation is sometimes used
in people with cirrhosis in high income countries, with varying success.
Prevention
The hepatitis B vaccine is the mainstay of hepatitis B
prevention. WHO recommends that all infants receive the hepatitis B vaccine as
soon as possible after birth, preferably within 24 hours. Routine infant
immunization against hepatitis B has increased globally with an estimated
coverage (third dose) of 84% in 2017. The low prevalence of chronic HBV
infection in children under 5 years of age, estimated at 1.3% in 2015, can be
attributed to the widespread use of hepatitis B vaccine. In most cases, 1 of the
following 2 options is considered appropriate:
·
a 3-dose schedule of
hepatitis B vaccine, with the first dose (monovalent) given at birth and the
second and third doses (monovalent or combined vaccine) given at the same time
as the first and third doses of diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), and
tetanus – (DTP vaccine); or
·
a 4-dose schedule,
where a monovalent birth dose is followed by 3 monovalent or combined vaccine
doses, usually given with other routine infant vaccines.
The complete vaccine series induces protective antibody levels
in more than 95% of infants, children and young adults. Protection lasts at
least 20 years and is probably lifelong. Thus, WHO does not recommend booster
vaccinations for persons who have completed the 3 dose vaccination schedule.
All children and adolescents younger than 18 years and not
previously vaccinated should receive the vaccine if they live in countries
where there is low or intermediate endemicity. In those settings it is possible
that more people in high-risk groups may acquire the infection and they should
also be vaccinated. This includes:
·
people who frequently
require blood or blood products, dialysis patients and recipients of solid
organ transplantations;
·
people in prisons;
·
people who inject
drugs;
·
household and sexual
contacts of people with chronic HBV infection;
·
people with multiple
sexual partners;
·
healthcare workers and
others who may be exposed to blood and blood products through their work; and
·
travellers who have
not completed their HBV series, who should be offered the vaccine before
leaving for endemic areas.
The vaccine has an excellent record of safety and effectiveness.
Since 1982, over 1 billion doses of hepatitis B vaccine have been used
worldwide. In many countries where 8–15% of children used to become chronically
infected with the hepatitis B virus, vaccination has reduced the rate of
chronic infection to less than 1% among immunized children.
In addition to infant vaccination, implementation of blood
safety strategies, including quality-assured screening of all donated blood and
blood components used for transfusion, can prevent transmission of HBV.
Worldwide, in 2013, 97% of blood donations were screened and quality assured,
but gaps persist. Safe injection practices, eliminating unnecessary and unsafe
injections, can be effective strategies to protect against HBV transmission.
Unsafe injections decreased from 39% in 2000 to 5% in 2010 worldwide.
Furthermore, safer sex practices, including minimizing the number of partners
and using barrier protective measures (condoms), also protect against
transmission.
WHO response
In March 2015, WHO launched its first "Guidelines
for the prevention, care and treatment of persons living with chronic hepatitis
B infection". The recommendations include:
·
promote the use of
simple, non-invasive diagnostic tests to assess the stage of liver disease and
eligibility for treatment;
·
prioritize treatment
for those with the most advanced liver disease and at greatest risk of
mortality; and
·
recommend the
preferred use of the nucleos(t)ide analogues with a high barrier to drug
resistance (tenofovir and entecavir, and entecavir in children aged 2–11 years)
for first- and second-line treatment.
These guidelines also recommend lifelong treatment for those
with cirrhosis and those with high HBV DNA and evidence of liver inflammation,
and regular monitoring for those on treatment, as well as those not yet on
treatment for disease progression, indications for treatment and early
detection of liver cancer.
In May 2016, the World Health Assembly adopted the first "Global
health sector strategy on viral hepatitis, 2016-2020". The strategy
highlights the critical role of universal health coverage and sets targets that
align with those of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The strategy has a vision to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health problem. This is encapsulated in the global targets to reduce new viral hepatitis infections by 90% and reduce deaths due to viral hepatitis by 65% by 2030. Actions to be taken by countries and the WHO Secretariat to reach these targets are outlined in the strategy.
The strategy has a vision to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health problem. This is encapsulated in the global targets to reduce new viral hepatitis infections by 90% and reduce deaths due to viral hepatitis by 65% by 2030. Actions to be taken by countries and the WHO Secretariat to reach these targets are outlined in the strategy.
To support countries in achieving the global hepatitis
elimination targets under the Sustainable Development Agenda 2030, WHO is
working to:
·
raise awareness,
promote partnerships and mobilize resources;
·
formulate
evidence-based policy and data for action;
·
prevent transmission;
and
·
scale up screening,
care and treatment services.
WHO recently published the “Progress report on HIV, viral
hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections, 2019”, outlining its progress
towards elimination. The report sets out global statistics on viral hepatitis B
and C, the rates of new infections, the prevalence of chronic infections and
mortality caused by these 2 high-burden viruses, and coverage of key
interventions, all current as at the end of 2016 and 2017.
Since 2011, together with national governments, partners and
civil society, WHO has organized annual World Hepatitis Day campaigns (as 1 of
its 9 flagship annual health campaigns) to increase awareness and understanding
of viral hepatitis. The date of 28 July was chosen because it is the birthday
of Nobel-prize winning scientist Dr Baruch Bloomberg, who discovered the
hepatitis B virus and developed a diagnostic test and vaccine for it.
·
For World Hepatitis
Day 2019, WHO is focusing on the theme “Invest in eliminating hepatitis” to
highlight the need for increased domestic and international funding to scale up
hepatitis prevention, testing and treatment services, in order to achieve the
2030 elimination targets.
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