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WHO Global Hepatitis Report, 2017
Geneva, Switzerland
Coinciding with the ILC, on 21 April the
World Health Organization launched
the first-ever Global Hepatitis Report.
The report contains new baseline
data on the impact of viral hepatitis,
both regionally and globally, and aims
to standardise understanding of the
disease; an essential starting point to
measure progress towards achieving the
2030 elimination goal.
The Global Hepatitis Report shows
definitively, for the first-time that:
• Viral hepatitis causes 1.34 million deaths (a number comparable to
annual deaths caused by tuberculosis, HIV and malaria).
• 325 million people live with viral hepatitis (approximately 4.4% of the
world’s population).
• Only 9% of persons living with hepatitis B and 20% of persons living
with hepatitis C have been tested and are aware of their status.
• Unsafe healthcare procedures and injection drug use are the leading
causes of new hepatitis C infections, accounting for the majority of the
1.75 million new infections.
WHO Regional Office for South-East
Asia launch Strategy
New Delhi, India
On 10-12 April, key stakeholders working
in viral hepatitis in the South-East Asia
region met to discuss regional updates
and launch the World Health Organization
(WHO) Regional Office for South-East Asia
(SEARO) action plan. With 100 million
people currently estimated to be living with
hepatitis B and 30 million with hepatitis
C in South-East Asia, the response to viral
hepatitis in the region is in need of urgent
scale-up. The launch of the regional action
plan is therefore encouraging and is a key
step in meeting the global elimination
targets.
The report also shows that since 2000, deaths due to viral hepatitis increased
by 22%, while deaths due to other diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria,
and HIV have been declining. The report therefore makes a clear call to
action: If we are to reverse this trend, specific and urgent actions must be
adopted at both a regional and national level.
Read the WHO’s Global Hepatitis Report, 2017 here
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hep
Voice April 2017
Read the Regional action plan for Viral
Hepatitis in South-East Asia, 2016–2021 here
hep Voice April 2017
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