Hepatitis B

July 28 Is World Hepatitis Day

Sunday, July 28, is World Hepatitis Day, an opportunity to raise awareness about viral hepatitis and its consequences. The World Hepatitis Alliance theme for 2013 -- See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil -- emphasizes that hepatitis B and C are receiving inadequate attention worldwide, despite the large number of people affected and the high burden on healthcare systems.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 240 million people worldwide are chronically infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and around 150 million have chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The WHA puts the combined number at 500 million.

Over years or decades, hepatitis B and C can progress to severe liver disease including cirrhosis and liver cancer. Viral hepatitis is a leading indication for liver transplantsand is a leading contributor to mortality among people coinfected with HIV. WHO estimates that hepatitis B and C -- along with non-chronic hepatitis A and E, and hepatitis D, which can co-occur with HBV -- cause 1.4 million deaths per year.

For more information:

• World Hepatitis Alliance: World Hepatitis Day: Who, What, Where, and How?

• CDC: World Hepatitis Day -- July 28th

• WHO: World Hepatitis Day: More Must Be Done to Stop this Silent Killer

HBV is endemic in several regions of the world, with especially high prevalence in Asia and Africa. Effective vaccines are available to prevent HBV infection, and their widespread adoption has led to dramatic decreases in new cases worldwide. For those already infected, antiviral drugs and interferon can treat chronic hepatitis B and help prevent liver disease progression, but in most cases do not lead to a cure.

HCV is also common worldwide, and there is not yet an effective vaccine. In the U.S. -- where an estimated 75% of people with hepatitis C do not know they are infected -- the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended in 2012 that all Baby Boomers born between 1945 and 1965 should get tested at least once for HCV, with the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force supporting that recommendation last month. Development of direct-acting antivirals has brought about a new era of treatment for chronic hepatitis C, and all-oral, interferon-free regimen are expected to become available within the next few years.

In advance of World Hepatitis Day, WHO released its first country-by-country hepatitis survey, covering viral hepatitis prevention and control efforts in 126 member states. WHO also announced this month that, for the first time, its Model Essential Medicines List now includes pegylated interferon, the current mainstay of treatment for chronic hepatitis C.

"Many of the measures needed to prevent the spread of viral hepatitis disease can be put in place right now, and doing so will offset the heavy economic costs of treating and hospitalizing patients in future," said Sylvie Briand, WHO Director for Pandemic and Epidemic Diseases.

"New, more effective medicines to prevent the progression of chronic hepatitis B and C are in the pipeline, added Stefan Wiktor, team lead of WHO’s Global Hepatitis Program. "However, these will be expensive and therapy will require monitoring with sophisticated laboratory tests. To cure and reduce the spread of these viruses, medicines must become more accessible."

7/28/13

Sources

World Hepatitis Alliance. World Hepatitis Day: Who, What, Where, and How? http://www.worldhepatitisalliance.org/en/who-what-where-when-and-how.html.

World Health Organization. World Hepatitis Day: More Must Be Done to Stop this Silent Killer. http://www.who.int/campaigns/hepatitis-day/2013/en/

World Health Organization. WHO urges governments to act on hepatitis threat. Press release. July 24, 2013. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2013/hepatitis_threat_20130724/en/.

World Health Organization. Hepatitis treatment debuts on WHO Model Essential Medicines List. July 2013. http://www.who.int/features/2013/hepatitis_essential_meds/en/.

World Health Organization. Global policy report on the prevention and control of viral hepatitis. July 2013. http://www.who.int/csr/disease/hepatitis/global_report/en/index.html.