WHO director says, 95 % people with hepatitis don’t know they’re infected

There is a need for immediate and urgent action to arrest the spread of hepatitis, doctors have said on the occasion of World Hepatitis Day.

In the Southeast Asia region, viral hepatitis is driving rates of liver cancer and cirrhosis and is causing premature death and disease with over 100 million people chronically infected with hepatitis B and hepatitis C. There is an effective vaccine and treatment for hepatitis B, and over 90 per cent of people with hepatitis C can be cured with treatment, Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, World Health Organisation (WHO) regional director for South East Asia said.

One of the main challenges to addressing hepatitis is that 95 per cent of people with chronic hepatitis do not know
they are infected and less than 1 per cent have access to the treatment. To address these issues, people and
countries need to be better equipped and enabled to “know hepatitis” and “act now” — the theme of this year’s World Hepatitis Day.

One of the main reasons for complication due to hepatitis B is mother-to-child transmission, which can be prevented
by administering the hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth, followed by two-to-three doses in the first six months of life.

Safe injections, blood transfusions and other healthcare procedures can further prevent the spread of hepatitis B and C among healthcare consumers, while promoting hygienic and clean food and water can reduce the risk of hepatitis A and E infections.

WHO is releasing its first hepatitis testing guidelines this year which provides guidance on who should be tested,
and recommends simple testing strategies to help scale up hepatitis testing, treatment and care, she added.

According to Dr Suresh Jain,Gastroenterologist, Jehangir Hospital, many patients come a late stage in the
infection. At this point it is difficult to change the course of the disease.

Although the infection remains undetected for many years, it is constantly damaging the liver.