July 28
World Hepatitis Day falls on 28 July every year, because it is the birthday of Nobel-prize-winning scientist Dr Baruch Blumberg, who discovered hepatitis B virus (HBV) and developed a diagnostic test and vaccine for the virus.
Hepatitis is the term used to describe inflammation of the liver. It is usually the result of a viral infection or liver damage caused by drinking alcohol. It is caused by a variety of infectious viruses and noninfectious agents leading to a range of health problems, some of which can be fatal. There are five main strains of the hepatitis virus, referred to as types A, B, C, D and E.
The date of 28 July was chosen as World Hepatitis Day. Low coverage of testing and treatment is the most important gap to be addressed in order to achieve the global elimination goals by 2030.
Hepatitis affects hundreds of millions of people throughout the world, causing acute and chronic diseases and killing some 1.34 million people every year. In some countries, hepatitis B is the most common cause of cirrhosis and may also cause liver cancer.
World Hepatitis Day is now recognized in over 100 countries each year through events such as free screenings, poster campaigns, demonstrations, concerts, talk shows, flash mobs and vaccination drives, amongst many others. Each year a report is published by the WHO and the World Hepatitis Alliance detailing all the events across the world.
WHO aims to achieve hepatitis elimination by 2030. To get there, WHO calls on countries to achieve specific targets: Reduce new infections of hepatitis B and C by 90 per cent; Reduce hepatitis-related deaths from liver cirrhosis and cancer by 65 per cent; Ensure that at least 90 per cent of people with hepatitis B and C viruses are diagnosed; At least 80 per cent of those eligible receive appropriate treatment.
Myanmar is making utmost efforts to ensure medical coverage for Hepatitis B patients by manufacturing drugs for the disease. The Hepatitis B Vaccine Factory was established in Ywathagyi of the Yangon Region to produce a sufficient number of pills for the patients and the surplus is exported to foreign countries.
Moreover, the government is fulfilling the needs of medicines for patients suffering from various types of Hepatitis viruses while conducting research to produce new pills for fighting against the virus of the diseases in various ways. That is why it is necessary to provide healthcare for Hepatitis patients in various types for saving their lives and recovering their livelihoods in a long-term plan. GNLM
