With India alone being home to 40 million people living with chronic hepatitis B infection and 60 per cent of people living with HIV (PlHIV) co-infected with hepatitis, the WHO has warned the Government of a catastrophe-in-waiting and called for raising awareness among people about the disease.
“Globally, Viral hepatitis kills 4,000 people every day. Each year, an estimated 1.5 million people die due to hepatitis, which includes deaths by liver cancer and cirrhosis. Nearly one third of the global hepatitis deaths - 5,00,000 - occur in the WHO South-East Asia Region (SEAR).
“The situation is alarming within the region with around 100 million people living with chronic hepatitis B infection and another 30 million with chronic hepatitis C. India alone has 40 million people living with chronic hepatitis B infection.
“60 per cent of people living with HIV are co-infected with hepatitis with increased risk of complications and deaths,” Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, World Health Organisation South-East Asia Region said on the eve of World Hepatitis Day. This year’s theme is “Prevent hepatitis. Act now.”
“Governments need to ensure adequate and equitable access to hepatitis prevention and control measures. However, the responsibility also lies with individuals. Nearly 65% of people living with chronic hepatitis B and 75% of those with chronic hepatitis C are unaware that they are infected. We are living with this risk and unless we act now, it can be catastrophic,” said the WHO official.
She stressed on strengthening health promotion initiatives and people be made aware of how they risk getting hepatitis and what they need to do to protect themselves and their families from the hepatitis viruses.
Nearly 40 per cent of those infected with hepatitis B and 80 per cent of those with hepatitis C require life-long medical treatment, making access to affordable prevention and treatment for viral hepatitis an absolute necessity.