JOIN US In spite of an effective vaccine and treatment for Hepatitis B and the possibility to cure over 90% people with Hepatitis C with treatment, the number of deaths due to the disease is alarming in the South-East Asia region, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
July 28 is World Hepatitis Day
Viral Hepatitis kills approximately 3.5 lakh people a year in the region. According to WHO, this is responsible for more deaths than HIV and malaria together and the second biggest killer after tuberculosis.
“One of the main challenges to addressing Hepatitis is that 95% of the people with chronic Hepatitis do not know they are infected and less than 1% have access to treatment. To address these issues, people and countries need to be better equipped and enabled to “know Hepatitis” and “act now” – the theme of this year’s World Hepatitis Day,” the WHO statement read.
WHO has suggested that national strategies and action plans optimally utilise the existing tools and new guidelines besides stepping up efforts at all levels to address the growing threat of Hepatitis. The WHO adopted the Global Health Sector Strategy for Hepatitis that calls for eliminating the disease by 2030. WHO’s South-East Asia Region comprises the following 11 member states: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste.