World Hepatitis Day
Baku, July 28 (AZERTAC). World Hepatitis Day, observed on July 28 every year, aims to raise global awareness of hepatitis B and hepatitis C and encourage prevention, diagnosis and treatment. Approximately 500 million people worldwide are living with either hepatitis B or hepatitis C.[1] This represents 1 in 12 people, and was the basis for the 2008 World Hepatitis Day Am I Number 12? campaign. If left untreated and unmanaged, hepatitis B or C can lead to advanced liver scarring (cirrhosis) and other complications, including liver cancer or liver failure. While many people worry more about contracting AIDS than Hepatitis, the reality is that every year 1.5 million people worldwide die from either hepatitis B or C faster than they would from HIV/AIDS. World Hepatitis Day has been led by the World Hepatitis Alliance since 2007 and on May 2010, it got global endorsement from the World Health Organization as one of only four mandated health awareness days, together with malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.[The inaugural International Hepatitis C Awareness day, coordinated by various European and Middle Eastern Patient Groups, took place October 1, 2004, however many patient groups continued to mark `hepatitis day` on disparate dates. In 2007 the World Hepatitis Alliance was formed to unite worldwide hepatitis B and hepatitis C patient groups and bring more public and political[4] attention to the issue of viral hepatitis. With input of its members (organizations from around the world working in the field of hepatitis), the newly titled World Hepatitis Day was switched to May 19, and launched with the campaign slogan `Am I Number 12?` in 2008. `Am I Number 12?` referred to the worldwide statistic that 1 in 12 people are living with viral hepatitis B or hepatitis C[6], and the slogan was translated into 40 different languages for use by patient organizations worldwide, and also displayed in banner form on several public landmarks. `Am I number 12` was maintained as the theme for the 2009 World Hepatitis Day, with many alliance members also creating a hepatitis themed `12 asks of government`. In 2010 the third annual World Hepatitis Day was held, with a new theme of `This is hepatitis` given prominence. This is hepatitis gave a renewed focus to the human stories behind viral hepatitis. `This is hepatitis` was retained as the theme for 2011. In 2012 the `This is hepatitis` theme has been evolved to `This is hepatitis… It`s closer than you think`. The new slogan encourages people to recognise how prevalent the condition is, that hepatitis is “closer to home” than many people may imagine, whilst continuing to break down the stigma associated with it. Following the adoption of a viral hepatitis resolution[11] during the 63rd World Health Assembly in May 2010, World Hepatitis Day was given global endorsement as the primary focus for national and international awareness-raising efforts and the date was changed to July 28 (in honour of Nobel Laureate Prof. Baruch Samuel Blumberg, discoverer of the hepatitis B virus, who celebrates his birthday on that date).] The resolution resolves that: "1. 28 July shall be designated as World Hepatitis Day in order to provide an opportunity for education and greater understanding of viral hepatitis as a global public health problem, and to stimulate the strengthening of preventive and control measures of this disease in Member States;" World Hepatitis Day provides an opportunity to focus on specific actions such as: Strengthening prevention, screening and control of viral hepatitis and its related diseases; Increasing hepatitis B vaccine coverage and integration into national immunization programmes; and coordinating a global response to hepatitis to increase access to treatment. Hepatitis viruses A, B, C, D and E can cause acute and chronic infection and inflammation of the liver leading to cirrhosis and liver cancer. These viruses constitute a major global health risk with an estimated 350 million people being chronically infected with hepatitis B and an estimated 170 million people being chronically infected with hepatitis C. The World Hepatitis Alliance website provides a hub for those wanting to take action around the day, providing downloadable campaign materials.
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