World Hepatitis Day 2022: Know Date, Theme, History, significance and all you need

Every year on July 28, people around the world celebrate World Hepatitis Day in an effort to raise awareness of the widespread impact of viral hepatitis and to push for genuine change via the promotion of screening, diagnosis, and treatment. One such ailment, hepatitis, affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide and causes inflammation of the liver tissue.

Hepatitis is the collective name for a number of infectious disorders, including types A, B, C, D, and E. Although a viral infection is typically the cause of hepatitis, other risk factors like excessive alcohol use, some drugs, toxins, and particular medical conditions also play a role.

Theme Of World Hepatitis Day:

You can participate in many community service initiatives and events that promote the value of spreading hepatitis awareness in order to do your part for both yourself and others.

“Bringing hepatitis care closer to you” is the theme for World Hepatitis Day this year. This theme aims to increase public awareness of the need to improve access to hepatitis care so that patients can receive better care.

History of World Hepatitis Day:

World Hepatitis Day, which was first observed on May 19, was shifted to July 28 in 2010. The World Hepatitis Alliance was established in 2007, and the first World Hepatitis Day was organised locally in 2008. This took place when the World Health Assembly voted to recognise Baruch Samuel Blumberg’s birthday. In the 1960s, he was the American doctor who made the discovery of hepatitis B.

Significance of World Hepatitis Day:

A new wave of unexplained acute hepatitis infections is currently sweeping the globe, primarily harming youngsters. Since this infection does not appear to be caused by any of the five major types of hepatitis viruses—A, B, C, D, or E—WHO is working with researchers and policymakers in the affected countries to determine what caused it.

The hundreds of acute viral hepatitis infections that occur each year in children, adults, and teenagers are the focus of this latest outbreak. The majority of acute hepatitis infections result in a mild illness that frequently goes undiagnosed. However, in extreme circumstances, these can have catastrophic consequences. According to WHO, complications from acute hepatitis A through E infections resulted in over 78,000 deaths worldwide in 2019.

Hepatitis B, C, and D infection elimination are priorities for global initiatives. In contrast to acute viral hepatitis, these three viruses induce chronic hepatitis, which can linger for years and result in over one million deaths annually from cirrhosis and liver cancer.

Over 95% of hepatitis deaths are caused by these three forms of chronic hepatitis infections. Despite the fact that we have the means to identify, manage, and prevent the infection, these treatments are sometimes out of reach for communities and occasionally only available at centralised or specialised facilities.