On World Hepatitis Day, the WHO urges not to lose sight of this disease and to do more about it.
Geneva - Every 30 seconds someone in the world dies from a disease caused by hepatitis.
The United Nations wants to largely contain the various forms of viral hepatitis by 2030.
But for that diagnosis and treatment would have to be improved.
This year, World Hepatitis Day on this Wednesday is themed “Hepatitis can't wait”
.
WHO urges governments to campaign to get more people tested and treated.
Hepatitis * is inflammation of the liver which can lead to severe liver disease and liver cancer.
There are five different types of viral hepatitis, from A to E. They are caused by viruses that are not related to each other.
The pathogens are transmitted through contaminated food (A and E) or through blood and sexual contacts (B and C)
.
Hepatitis D only develops in people who have hepatitis B, emphasizes the World Health Organization (WHO) on World Hepatitis Day (July 28).
Many affected by hepatitis without knowing it
Hepatitis B and C are the most common and are a major cause of cirrhosis and liver cancer
. According to estimates by the WHO, 354 million people worldwide live with chronic hepatitis B or C. Three million people become infected every year, and 1.1 million people die from it. The diseases can be cured, but the diagnosis is flawed: In 2019, according to WHO estimates, only 21 percent of people with chronic hepatitis C knew of their infection, and for hepatitis B it was only 10 percent.
Because people with high risk of infection as some drug users and men who have sex with men, tend to be harder to reach health services,
WHO advocates for the delivery of self-tests for hepatitis C
.
In a new manual it recommends how and where such tests can be submitted and helpers trained for their use.
(dpa) * Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
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