According to the World Health Organization, the disease is the second leading infectious cause of death globally, with 1.3 million deaths each year, as is tuberculosis, an infectious disease that kills every year. another head.WHO) Global Hepatitis Report 2024.
“This report paints a worrying picture,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “Despite global progress in preventing hepatitis infections, deaths are still increasing because Too few people with hepatitis are diagnosed and treated.”
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Although better tools for diagnosis and treatment are available and product prices are falling, the rate of Testing and treatment coverage remains stagnant.
However, the agency said it was still possible to meet the WHO’s 2030 elimination target if swift action was taken now.
“WHO is committed to helping countries use all the tools at their disposal – at an access price – to save lives and turn this trend around”, said the head of the United Nations health agency.
Waiting area at a medical clinic in Rwanda. The rate of vaccination against hepatitis B at birth is only 45% globally, of which the WHO Africa region is less than 20%.
The number of deaths increased dramatically
More than 6,000 people were newly infected with viral hepatitis every day, according to the report.
New data from 187 countries shows estimates of deaths from viral hepatitis increasing from 1.1 million in 2019 to 1.3 million in 2022. Of these, 83% are due to hepatitis B and 17% are due to hepatitis C.
Updated WHO estimates indicate that 254 million people will have hepatitis B and 50 million will have hepatitis C by 2022. Half of the burden of chronic hepatitis B and C infection is in people aged 30 to 54 years old, of which 12% are children. Men accounted for 58% of all cases.
Gaps in diagnosis and treatment
Across all regions, only 13% of people with chronic hepatitis B had been diagnosed and around 3%, or 7 million, had received antiviral treatment by the end of 2022, a much lower number. compared to the global target of treating 80% of infections. people with chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis C by 2030.
The burden of viral hepatitis also varies by region. The WHO Africa Region accounts for 63% of new hepatitis B infections, yet despite this burden, only 18% of newborns in the region are vaccinated against hepatitis B at birth.
In the Western Pacific region, which accounts for 47% of hepatitis B deaths, treatment rates are at 23% of those diagnosed, a number too low to reduce mortality.
Additionally, although affordable viral hepatitis medications are available, many countries cannot afford them at lower prices.
In Chile, new hepatitis treatments mean that around 98% of patients recover completely.
Repelling epidemics
The WHO report outlines a series of actions to advance a public health approach to viral hepatitis, designed to accelerate progress towards ending the epidemic by 2030.
These include Expand access to testing and diagnosticsStrengthen primary care prevention efforts and move from policy to enforcement for equitable treatment.
But Funding remains a challengeThe agency said the current level is not enough to meet demand.
WHO says this comes from a combination of factors, including limited awareness of cost-effective interventions and tools as well as competing health priorities.
The new report also highlights strategies for countries to address these inequities and access the most affordable tools available.
- Promote mental health and wellbeing, and enhance substance abuse prevention and treatment
- Reduce the number of deaths and illnesses caused by pollution, pollution and tobacco
- Achieve universal health coverage and provide access to affordable, essential vaccines and medicines
- Reduce the global maternal mortality rate to less than 70 per 100,000 live births and the under-5 mortality rate to at least 25 per 1,000 live births
- End the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, and fight hepatitis and other infectious diseases
Sustainable development revolves around ensuring healthy lives and promoting wellbeing at all ages.
