Viral hepatitis B and C affect 325 million people worldwide causing 1.4 million deaths a year. It is the second major killer infectious disease after tuberculosis, and nine times more people are infected with hepatitis than HIV. Hepatitis is preventable, treatable, and in the case of hepatitis C, curable. However, over 80% of people living with hepatitis are lacking prevention, testing and treatment services.
During World Hepatitis Day 2019 campaign, WHO is urging all countries and partners to promote the theme “Invest in eliminating hepatitis”. WHO will release new estimates for additional investments needed to achieve globally agreed hepatitis elimination goals by 2030, in the context of the universal health coverage. The host country for World Hepatitis Day 2019 is Pakistan. The global events are to be held in Islamabad, Pakistan in July 2019.
Objectives for World Hepatitis Day 2019:
*To urge national and regional policymakers increase political and financial commitments for hepatitis response.
*To highlight WHO’s new costing estimates for hepatitis elimination within the context of health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and UHC by 2030.
*To encourage people come forward to access hepatitis prevention, testing and treatment services.
In 2016, the World Health Assembly passed a resolution to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030. We aimed to examine the status of the global viral hepatitis response. In 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) asked the Ministries of Health in all 194 Member States to complete a Country Profile on Viral Hepatitis policy uptake indicators, covering national plans/funding, engagement of civil society, testing guidance, access to treatment, and strategic information. Of 194 Member States, 135 (70%) responded, accounting for 87% of the global population infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and/or C virus (HCV). Of those responding, 84 (62%) had developed a national plan, of which, 49 (58%) had dedicated funding, and 62 (46%) had engaged with civil society; those engaged with civil society were more likely to have a funded plan than others (52% vs. 23%, p = 0.001).
Guidance on testing pregnant women (for HBV) and people who inject drugs (for HCV) was available in 70% and 46% of Member States, respectively; 59% and 38% of Member States reported universal access to optimal therapies for HBV and HCV, respectively.
Most people living with hepatitis B and C reside in a country with a national hepatitis strategy.
Governments who engaged with civil society were more advanced in their response.
Member States need to finance these national strategies and ensure that those affected have access to hepatitis services as part of efforts to achieve universal health coverage.
The World Health Organization’s goal to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030 requires global action.
Our results indicate that progress is being made by countries to scale-up national planning efforts; however, our results also highlight important gaps in current policies.
-WHO