World celebrates World Hepatitis Day (WHD)

The World Hepatitis Day (WHD) is observed every year on July 28 to raise awareness of the global burden of viral hepatitis and to influence real change. The 2017 theme is “Eliminate Hepatitis”. Hepatitis is a viral infection which causes inflammation in the liver. It is a group of infectious diseases known as Hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E. The ‘ 2017 WHO Global hepatitis’ report indicates that a large majority of these people lack access to life-saving testing and treatment.
As a result, millions face risk of chronic liver disease, cancer, and death. As per estimates of World Health Organisation (WHO), 4 crore people in India live with chronic Hepatitis B and an additional six lakh with Hepatitis C, which accounts for 40% and 20% of Hepatitis B and C infections in south-east Asia. Thus, hepatitis affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide, causing acute and chronic disease and killing close to 1.4 million people every year.