Pakistan’s Hepatitis Battle

Shazia Mehboob

Iislamabad: With more than 15 million people with hepatitis B and C, Pakistan is observing World Hepatitis Day today, July 28, with the commitment to eliminate chronic disease from the country by 2030.

The positivity rate for hepatitis B stands at 5 percent, while that of hepatitis C is at 2.5 percent, as reported by Dawn. In the case of hepatitis C,. It is of greater concern that an overwhelming majority of the population is unaware of how the viral infection can be prevented, treated, and cured.
According to an APP report, Pakistan has set itself a target of 60 percent for the elimination of hepatitis B and C, whilst 50 percent of those eligible for treatment must be cured of hepatitis C or receive treatment for hepatitis B by 2025. One of the most common causes of chronic (long-term) hepatitis is a viral infection.
This year, the focus is on “bringing hepatitis care closer to you.”. It aims to raise awareness about the need to simplify and bring hepatitis care to primary health facilities, community-based venues, and locations other than hospital sites so that care is closer to communities and people wherever they are.

The new Global Health Sector Strategies on, respectively, HIV, viral hepatitis, and transmitted infections for the period 2022–2030 emphasizes the importance of person-centered care and the alignment of systems and integration of services to reach the goal of elimination by 2030.
According to the World Hepatitis Alliance, about 500 million people are currently infected with chronic hepatitis B or C, and 1 in 3 people have been exposed to one or both viruses.
World Health Day is observed each year on July 28 to spread awareness about the viral disease, which causes inflammation in the liver and can lead to a range of health problems, including liver cancer. Around 325 million people all over the world are living with viral hepatitis B and C.

There are five main strains of the hepatitis virus: A, B, C, D, and E. Together, hepatitis B and C cause 1.4 million deaths each year. One way of preventing hepatitis is to get a vaccine against the disease before travelling.

Organisations such as the United Nations and the World Hepatitis Alliance work with individuals and community groups to promote awareness through worldwide campaigns about hepatitis. Information about World Hepatitis Day is usually distributed via social media, newspapers, posters, and the World Health Organization’s (WHO) website.

Hepatitis simply means inflammation of the liver and can be caused by different things The World Hepatitis Alliance first launched World Hepatitis Day in 2008. Following on, the UN declared official recognition of this event in 2010.