World Hepatitis Alliance Calls On Governments To Take Urgent Action To Tackle Chronic Viral Hepatitis B & C Epidemic

The World Hepatitis Alliance, a newly formed Non-Governmental
Organisation, today called on governments around the world to do more to
drive improvements in prevention, diagnosis and treatment for people living
with chronic viral hepatitis B and C.


Although it is estimated that 500 million, approximately one in 12
people, are infected with either chronic viral hepatitis B or C
globally(1,2), there is a serious lack of awareness and political will to
tackle these diseases.


Marking the first ever truly international World Hepatitis
Day, the World Hepatitis Alliance today launched "The Hepatitis Atlas:
Completing the Data Map" - a resource designed to become the first global
public compendium of statistics and information relating to chronic viral
hepatitis B and C. The Hepatitis Atlas has been launched as a result of the
shocking lack of up-to-date global statistics relating to the two viruses.


Charles Gore, President of the World Hepatitis Alliance, said
the current lack of data highlighted the need for greater surveillance at
local, national and international levels. "If this information is not easily
available, how can governments begin to tackle these diseases that kill 1.5
million people a year?" Mr. Gore said. "Governments are simply working in the
dark and need to do more to ensure chronic viral hepatitis B and C are high
up on national and international healthcare agendas."


The World Hepatitis Alliance is also asking governments to
sign up to 12 Asks for 2012 aimed at combating chronic viral hepatitis B and
C. The '12 Asks' are a series of requests for commitment from policy makers
to recognise the impact of the disease and the importance of adopting
measures that address the issue from a public health perspective. "The
challenge for viral hepatitis is to make healthcare authorities and policy
makers aware that this disease, if not tackled today, will be a major burden
in the next 20 years as today's patients will develop liver cancer. It is
better to act today than be unable to react tomorrow," said Professor Driss
Jamil, a specialist in hepatitis B and C at the Department of Medicine,
University of Casablanca, Morocco, and one of 12 members of the World
Hepatitis Alliance Public Health Panel.


Professor Greg Dore, Head of the Viral Hepatitis Clinical Research
Program, National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research,
University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, and also a member of the
Public Health Panel, added, "Increased awareness and understanding of the
public health impact of chronic viral hepatitis is required to mobilise
action on proven prevention and care strategies. Awareness raising will
promote advocacy, improve global funding, and reduce the stigma and
discrimination that affect many people with chronic viral hepatitis."


Did You Know?



- 500 million people worldwide are currently infected with
hepatitis B or C(1,2)

- This is over 10 times the number infected with HIV/AIDS

- Between them, hepatitis B and C kill 1.5 million people a year

- One in every three people on the planet has been exposed to
either or both viruses

- Most of the 500 million infected do not know






World Hepatitis Day





World Hepatitis Day is being observed on Monday 19 May and marks a brand
new, entirely patient-led initiative. The day has been launched in response
to the concern that chronic viral hepatitis has nowhere near the level of
awareness nor the political will to tackle it that is seen in HIV/AIDS, TB
and malaria. This is despite the fact that the numbers chronically infected
with, and annually killed by, hepatitis B and C viruses are on the same
scale.





World Hepatitis Alliance





World Hepatitis Day is being coordinated by the World Hepatitis Alliance,
a newly established Non-Governmental Organisation that represents more than
200 hepatitis B and hepatitis C patient groups from around the world. The
World Hepatitis Alliance is governed by a representative board of patient
groups from seven world regions: Europe, Eastern Mediterranean, North Africa,
North America, South America, Australasia and Western Pacific. For more
information visit worldhepatitisday on Monday 19 May.





(1)World Health Organization. Hepatitis B Fact Sheet
(accessed May
1, 2008)





(2) Initiative for Vaccine Research, Viral Cancers, Hepatitis C. World
Health Organization, 2006.
See here.
(accessed May 1, 2008)


The World Hepatitis Alliance

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