World Hepatitis Day 2022: Date
World Hepatitis Day is observed annually on July 28 with the goal of raising awareness about the worldwide burden of viral hepatitis and advocating for substantive transformation by encouraging prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Hepatitis is, however, one disease characterized by inflammation of the liver tissue and affects millions of people globally. Hepatitis is a series of infectious diseases defined by a few variants such as A, B, C, D, and E. Hepatitis is typically caused by a viral infection, but can also be triggered by other risk factors such as excessive alcohol intake, certain medications, toxins, and some other medical conditions.
World Hepatitis Day 2022: Theme
“Bringing hepatitis care closer to you” is the theme of this year’s World Hepatitis Day. The goal of this theme is to increase awareness to the need of improving the access to hepatitis care and treatment.
World Hepatitis Day 2022: History
Every year on July 28, which is also the birthday of Dr. Baruch Blumberg (1925–2011), World Hepatitis Day (WHD) is commemorated. The hepatitis B virus was identified by Dr. Blumberg in 1967, and the first hepatitis B vaccine was created by him two years later. The culmination of these accomplishments was Dr. Blumberg’s 1976 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the CDC are two of the organisations that celebrate WHD to spread awareness of viral hepatitis, which affects more than 354 million people worldwide.
This campaign was started by the World Health Organization with the goal of eradicating hepatitis from the world. The World Hepatitis Alliance was established in 2007, and the first World Hepatitis Day that was organised locally took place in 2008.
World Hepatitis Day 2022: Significance
A new wave of persistent acute hepatitis infections is currently sweeping the world, predominantly affecting children. 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 scientists and policymakers in the affected countries to determine what causes it.
The millions of acute viral hepatitis infections that occur each year in children, adults, and adolescents are the focus of this new outbreak. The majority of acute hepatitis infections result in a mild disease that frequently goes undiagnosed. However, in extreme circumstances, these can have harmful consequences. According to WHO, complications from acute hepatitis A through E infections resulted in over 78,000 deaths globally in 2019.
Hepatitis B, C, and D infection elimination are priorities for global initiatives. In contrast to acute viral hepatitis, these three infections induce chronic hepatitis, which can persist for years and result in over one million deaths annually from cirrhosis and liver cancer.
More than 95% of mortality from hepatitis are caused by these three forms of chronic hepatitis infections. Although we have the capability to diagnose, treat, and prevent the infection, however these services sometimes are not really provided to various communities and occasionally are only available in highly centralized facilities.
Ultimately, the purpose of the day is to raise awareness of the different types of hepatitis and how they are spread. Additionally, the day strives to effectively manage, diagnose, and prevent viral hepatitis and other disease states. The day reinforces the notion of how vital it is to raise the rate of hepatitis B vaccinations. The day also facilitates the establishment of an international implementation plan against hepatitis.
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