WORLD HEPATITIS DAY
World Hepatitis Day – July 28
World Hepatitis Day is observed on July 28 each year to raise awareness about viral hepatitis, a major global health challenge affecting millions of people. Viral hepatitis are a group of infectious diseases known as hepatitis A, B, C, E. The day highlights the need for prevention, testing, and treatment to eliminate hepatitis as a public health threat. It also commemorates the birthday of Dr. Baruch Blumberg, who discovered the hepatitis B virus and developed the first vaccine for it. The World Health Organization (WHO) and health organizations worldwide use this day to promote initiatives aimed at increasing access to care and reducing the burden of hepatitis.
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World Hepatitis Day 2023
World Hepatitis Day takes places every year on July 28th, focusing attention on the vast impact of viral hepatitis infections globally. The five hepatitis viruses: A, B, C, D, and E can be transmitted in different ways, affect various populations and have different health implications, causing both acute and chronic liver disease sometimes with symptoms only appearing once the disease is advanced. Some types of hepatitis are preventable through vaccination but low coverage of testing and treatment is an important gap to be addressed in order to achieve global elimination goals by 2030.
World Hepatitis Day 2023
A blog post written by ISID Emerging Leader, Tinsae Alemayehu
The discovery of the Hepatitis B virus followed a couple of years later by the first hepatitis B vaccine were landmark moments in clinical infectious diseases practice, which led the Nobel Prize committee for physiology and medicine to bestow its award for 1967 to the person behind the two discoveries: Dr Baruch Blumberg. To further enshrine his contribution, the world hepatitis day is celebrated on his birthday, 28th July.
It's Time for Action
World Hepatitis Day, observed on July 28th, serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need to increase awareness of viral hepatitis, an inflammation of the liver that can lead to severe liver disease and cancer. WHO estimates indicate that more than 300 million people are living with chronic hepatitis B and C, with approximately 2.2 million new infections per year. This year’s theme, 'It’s time for action,' underscores the pressing need to accelerate better prevention, diagnosis, and treatment strategies to achieve global target improvements such as the elimination goals by 2030.