Today, Thursday 28 July, is World Hepatitis Day, marking the need to increase awareness of viral hepatitis and the diseases it causes, and prompting calls for action urging people to get tested and immunized and help stop new infections.
Thelma King Thiel, the CEO and chairman of Hepatitis Foundation International, said in a statement issued from the organization’s US headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, earlier today that:
“We have the power to prevent new hepatitis infections and we need people to take action.”
Ways to prevent hepatitis infection include immunization, avoiding risky behaviors such as sharing needles, toothbrushes and razors, and encouraging people at risk to get infected, said Thiel.
Hepatitis means inflammation of the liver, and there are several causes, including drugs, alcohol, autoimmune disorders, and viruses. There are many viruses that result in liver inflammation, but the term viral hepatitis refers primarily to viruses that attack the liver directly, such as the most common types, A, B, and C.
The burden of hepatitis worldwide that is attributable to these three types of virus is huge. Estimates from Hepatitis Foundation International suggest:
- Every year, 1.4 million people find out they have hepatitis A.
- 2 billion people worldwide are infected with hepatitis B.
- 130 million people worldwide are chronically infected with hepatitis C.
In the US, thanks to increased awareness and improved hygiene, cases of hepatitis A have reduced dramatically, but chronic hepatitis C and hepatitis B infections continue to persist.
Also, because it can take many years, decades even, for symptoms to emerge, it is estimated that up to 75% of Americans that are infected don’t realize it, and therefore are not receiving the care and treatment they need, according to a statement made recently by the US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
This is particularly worrisome because over time, hepatitis B and C can progress to severe liver disease including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, a type of liver cancer. Rates of these two conditions are on the rise in the US, as “Baby Boomers” infected decades ago reach advanced stages of disease.
Two months ago, in May 2011, the DHHS, issued its action plan “Combating the Silent Epidemic: US Department of Health and Human Services Action Plan for the Prevention, Care and Treatment of Viral Hepatitis”, to address what it describes as a “silent epidemic” affecting between 3.5 and 5.3 million Americans.
The DHHS says that the problem of many infected people not realizing they are infected is made worse by the fact that health care providers, through lack of training, don’t have the skills or tools to assess the risks, offer prevention counselling, or diagnose and treat viral hepatitis. Assistant Secretary for Health, Howard K Koh, said the action plan, which he describes as “unprecendented”, is a call to action for better education, treatment and prevention.
Dr Thomas R Frieden, Director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said the action needed can’t be accomplished by one government agency alone, it needs everyone across government to work together to take “prevention efforts to the next level”.
“Far too many Americans are unaware of the serious impact of viral hepatitis and the devastating consequences that can result from leaving it untreated. The time for action is now,” he urged.
In their message earlier today, Hepatitis Foundation International reinforced the urgency of this message, and especially the need to “identify the large at-risk population of Baby Boomers, who are likely unaware of their infection”. They urge people to take the following steps to prevent hepatitis and save their liver:
- Get tested: contact your local public health department or your doctor to find out how.
- Get vaccinated: hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccines are available.
- Get educated: learn the value of your liver, how it is key to health, avoid drugs and alcohol and limit intake of fatty and unhealthy foods.
For more information on Hepatitis visit HIVand Hepatitis.com
Sources: HFI, DHHS.
Written by: Catharine Paddock, PhD