World Hepatitis Day 2020: Raising Awareness & Finding the ‘Missing Millions’

Md. Rakibul Islam :

Twenty first century whole Earth face the biggest challenge have ever seen before that’s the name is pandemic situation of covid-19 but we forget another disease that previously present in the world as a hidden killer, this disease name is Hepatitis. Hepatitis is a one kind of viral disease that infected the hepatic cell of human body. As per theworld health organization (WhO) reported that 1.34 million people are death in every year. According to the world health organization (WhO) reported that 325 million people are living with viral hepatitis B and C in 2017, 900000 death per year caused by hepatitis B virus infection, 10% of people living with hepatitis B and 19% living with hepatitis C know their hepatitis, 42% of children globally have access to the birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine. It can be transmitted through water to human. According to the National liver foundation of Bangladesh about 60-70% of the infected individuals are not aware about the existence of HBV in their body. For every 100 children less than four weeks old, hepatologists estimate there are 70-80 case of physiological jaundice and of these 10 to 11 are born with HBV in Bangladesh.
According to the world health organization (WhO) ”Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver. The condition can be self-limiting or can progress to fibrosis (scarring), cirrhosis or liver cancer. Hepatitis viruses are the most common cause of hepatitis in the world but other infections, toxic substances (e.g. alcohol, certain drugs), and autoimmune diseases can also cause hepatitis.”
What is World Hepatitis Day?
World Hepatitis Day (WHD) takes places every year on 28 July bringing the world together under a single theme to raise awareness of the global burden of viral hepatitis and to influence real change. Consistently the World Hepatitis Day is seen around a topic. The 2020 theme is about raising awareness and finding the ‘missing millions’. World Hepatitis Day also promotes testing and prevention for all five types of Hepatitis – A, B, C, D, and E.
Worldwide, 290 million people are living with viral hepatitis unconscious. Without finding the undiagnosed and linking them to care, millions will continue to suffer, and lives will be lost. This is the world level awareness campaign which is launched as a global health campaign by the World Health Organisation to make the world hepatitis free. Earlier, on 1st October, 2004, it was celebrated as an international Hepatitis C Awareness by the patient groups of European and Middle Eastern regions. Also, various countries observe hepatitis day on different dates. To make this campaign as a best awareness campaign in 2008, the World Hepatitis Alliance had declared 19th May as the first World Hepatitis Day in association with the patient groups.
Further, in May 2010 in the 63rd World Health Assembly, the date was changed to 28 July after adopting the earlier declaration. And the name of the day became World Hepatitis Day to increase awareness about the hepatitis disease at national and international level. To honour the “Nobel Laureate Baruch Samuel Blumberg, 28 July was declared as the final date to celebrated World Hepatitis Day because 28 July is his birthday and he discovered the hepatitis B virus. Since 2011, together with national governments, civil society, world hepatitis alliances and partners, WHO has organized annual World Hepatitis Day campaigns (as 1 of its 9 flagship annual health campaigns) to increase awareness and understanding of viral hepatitis. It’s a day to celebrate the progress we have made and to meet the current challenges. It’s also an opportunity for us to increase awareness and encourage a real political change to jointly facilitate prevention, diagnosis and treatment. WHD is a great opportunity for us to raise awareness of the importance of knowing your hepatitis status and to spread the word about treatment.
Motive Behind Observing World Hepatitis Day
A. To inform individuals concerning avoidance, early finding, screening, control and so forth..
B. To increase awareness about the vaccine of Hepatitis A and B.
C. To educate people and expand it for immunisation, prevention, diagnosis and control.
D. To make people aware about the care and treatment for those people suffering from hepatitis.
E. To implement new training methods and number of skilled medical professionals in order to enhance the quality care.
F. To promote several health and governments organisations in the whole world for their active involvement in the event to create or discover new strategies against hepatitis.
G. To advance proficient staff individuals with the goal that they can partake in the occasion.
H. To raise awareness among public about types of hepatitis disease.
I. To give a chance to concentrate together on the sickness Hepatitis.
J. To make people get tested the disease at an early stage.
K. To encourage and aware people about the early diagnosis, prevention and treatment from the hepatitis.
Therefore, Hepatitis is a disease that is caused due to infectious virus and affects the liver. It is of five types and may leads to some serious diseases. So, proper treatment, diagnose and precaution should be needed. And to raise awareness among people about the hepatitis disease World Hepatitis Day is celebrated on 28 July every year with a particular theme. So we should celebrate in this year world hepatitis day 2020 theme is about raising awareness and finding the ‘missing millions’.

(Md. Rakibul Islam is a Msc. Student of Applied Nutrition and Food Technology, Islamic University. [email protected]).