Millions of people do not know they have hepatitis
"It's time to diagnose, treat and cure," says the World Health Organization on World Hepatitis Day 2018, which calls for an urgent increase in hepatitis testing and treatment services to eliminate viral hepatitis in the world.
The campaign for World Hepatitis Day 2018, which takes place this July 28, seeks to eliminate viral hepatitis type B and C that affects 325 million people worldwide. If not treated, these infections cause liver cancer and cirrhosis, which together caused more than 1.3 million deaths in 2015 alone.
One of the biggest problems worldwide lies in the fact that millions of people who are infected do not know about it and do not receive treatment. It is estimated that 10% of people who have some type of hepatitis do not know it.
"We have a clear vision for elimination, and we have the tools to do it. But we must accelerate the efforts with which to achieve our goal of eliminating hepatitis by 2030, "said the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on the occasion of World Day.
Worldwide, less than 20 percent of people had access to testing and treatment services for hepatitis B and C infections by the end of 2016.
About Hepatitis
Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver commonly caused by a viral infection by one of the five major viruses of hepatitis (types A, B, C, D and E).
It can cause acute infections and progress to chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, cancer or even death. Hepatitis B and C infections are transmitted through contaminated blood, as well as through contaminated needles and syringes used among people who inject drugs.
Viruses can also be transmitted through unprotected sex and from an infected mother to her newborn child.
We have a clear vision for elimination, and we have the tools to do so. But we must accelerate the efforts with which to achieve our goal of eliminating hepatitis by 2030.
In addition, hepatitis B and C are chronic infections that can remain asymptomatic for long periods of time, often for years.
The good news is that early tests and treatment prevent the complications of hepatitis C.
Thanks to advances in treatment, new drugs can cure hepatitis C in only three months or less.
The updated WHO guide requires that all adults and children over 12 years of age living with hepatitis C be treated with these new medicines.
Situation in the Americas
According to data from the Pan American Health Organization, a WHO branch in the region, in the Americas, 3.9 million people live with chronic hepatitis B and 7.2 million with chronic hepatitis C, which causes more than 125,000 deaths. annual
Liver cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death among men and the seventh among women in the Western Hemisphere, which represents a major public health problem.
"While some countries have made great strides in addressing the public health risks posed by hepatitis, many remain behind," says Marcos Espinal, director of the Department of Communicable Diseases and Environmental Health Determinants of PAHO.
"We know that treating hepatitis C can reduce the risk of developing liver cancer by 75%, but only 14% of people with hepatitis C in Latin America and the Caribbean have been diagnosed and less than 1% receive the treatment they need" , he explained.
During 2015 and 2016, the Ministers of Health of all the Americas agreed on a series of actions to reduce the burden of hepatitis and eliminate them as a public health problem by 2030.
While some countries have made great strides in addressing the public health risks posed by hepatitis, many remain behind.
Since then, efforts to ensure vaccination against hepatitis B have continued, and all countries in Latin America and the Caribbean vaccinate children under 1 year of age, 22 of which do so within the first 24 hours after birth. , as recommended by WHO.
However, when it comes to the treatment of people living with chronic hepatitis C, much remains to be done.
New advances show that more than 95% of those infected could be cured. However, in the entire region of the Americas, the vast majority of people living with hepatitis C do not have affordable access to these highly effective medications. For example, treatment with direct-acting antivirals (DAA) can cure hepatitis C in three months or less.
Some countries in the region have accessed this lower-cost treatment for hepatitis C through the PAHO Strategic Fund, a mechanism that allows them to pool resources to access affordable, strategic and quality-assured medicines.
"It is vital that other countries in the region take full advantage of this initiative, while developing diagnostic, treatment and elimination plans to reduce the high burden of health costs associated with late diagnosis, liver cancer and cirrhosis, and the most important, to save lives, "said Espinal.
"We know that governments' efforts to increase the availability of treatments have a great impact on reducing the number of people suffering from chronic hepatitis and related liver disease," Espinal added.
In Brazil, for example, in 2017 the Ministry of Health established the goal of eliminating hepatitis C, and direct-acting antivirals have been made available through the national health system.
