July 28 marked World Hepatitis Day. Hepatitis B and C are the two major forms of viral hepatitis, causing inflammation, damage to the liver, and sometimes cancer. Their burden is huge—more men acquired hepatitis B (890000 cases) in 2019–20 than HIV (720000 cases). In 2019 HIV caused 0.·7 million deaths, whereas hepatitis B and C combined caused 1.1 million deaths. Despite these large numbers, there is cause for optimism. The past decade has transformed viral hepatitis care. The development of direct-acting antivirals that can cure chronic hepatitis C and the rollout of hepatitis B vaccines at birth to prevent vertical transmission have ushered in a new phase in eliminating these diseases.

WHO’s new targets, announced in May 2022, aim to eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030 by driving new infections and deaths down to half a million for both hepatitis B and hepatitis C, as well as reducing HBsAg in children under 5 years to below 0.1%.

Indeed, it is remarkable to underline that countries which prioritize the elimination of viral hepatitis can achieve remarkable results. Egypt received US$530 million from the World Bank in 2018 for its campaign to eliminate hepatitis C. In 2008, around one in ten people in Egypt had chronic hepatitis C from a failed national attempt to treat schistosomiasis that reused needles to give medications. Now, Egypt might be among the first countries to eliminate the disease.

However other practical challenges remain: Diagnosis is a major issue. Only 10% of people with chronic hepatitis B know their diagnosis and just 21% of those with chronic hepatitis C know theirs. Development of point-of-care testing and self-testing is desperately needed, along with campaigns to test and treat.

“The health community has a golden opportunity to eliminate viral hepatitis. Now is the time to seize the moment, expand efforts, formalize funding, and raise national and international attention. The 2030 targets are a challenge, but they are within reach. It is time to press for them.”

You can read the full text here.

References

  1. The Lancet. (2022a, July). Viral hepatitis elimination: a challenge, but within reach. The Lancet, 400(10348), 251. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(22)01377-0

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