Hepatitis Day: WHO launches “One Life, One Liver” campaign

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Photo: John Hopkins Hospital

Writing by Hadiza Abdulrahman

The World Health Organisation has launched the “One Life, One Liver” campaign to expand viral hepatitis prevention, testing, and treatment to commemorate the World Hepatitis Day.

WHO harped on the need to scale up testing and treatment for viral hepatitis, warning that the disease could kill more people than malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV combined by 2040, if current infection trends continue.

Every year on July 28, the World Hepatitis Day is marked in an effort to spread awareness about viral hepatitis and spur positive change.

The Day, according to the World Health Organisation, is a chance to intensify national and international efforts on hepatitis, encourage actions and involvement by individuals, partners, and the public, as well as highlight the need for a more comprehensive global response as outlined in the Organisation’s Global hepatitis report of 2017.

The day of July 28 was selected because it is the birthday of Dr Baruch Blumberg, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist who discovered the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and created a diagnostic test and vaccination to prevent the infection.

WHO On Hepatitis Diseases

Over a million people every year are killed by hepatitis, which, according to the health body, damages the liver and can lead to cancer.

The five main viral classifications of hepatitis are hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E. A different virus is responsible for each type of viral hepatitis.

Hepatitis B and C account for the majority of illnesses and fatalities among the five forms of hepatitis infections. Hepatitis C is curable, but only 21% of those who have the condition are aware of it and only 13% have received curative care.

Only 10% of persons with chronic hepatitis B receive a diagnosis, and only 2% of those with the infection receive the life-saving drug.

“Millions of people are living with undiagnosed and untreated hepatitis worldwide, even though we have better tools than ever to prevent, diagnose and treat it,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.

He said the WHO remains committed to supporting countries to expand the use of those tools, including increasingly cost-effective curative medication, to save lives and end hepatitis.

Treatment and Prevention

WHO advises hepatitis testing, treatment if found, and hepatitis B vaccine for those who want to keep their livers healthy. The health of the liver is also improved by cutting down on alcohol use, reaching a healthy weight, and controlling diabetes or high blood pressure.

The reduction of hepatitis B infections in children through vaccination is a key intervention to limit viral hepatitis infections overall.

The target for hepatitis B incidence is the only Sustainable Development Goals’ (SDG) health target that was met in 2020 and is on track for 2030.

The body decried that many countries in Africa do not have access to the birth dose hepatitis B vaccines.

WHO encourages that all pregnant women should be screened for hepatitis B during their pregnancy to prevent mother-to-child transmission.

It also advocates for taking advantage of price reductions in medication to reaccelerate progress in expanding treatment.


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