WHO launches surveillance tool for liver diseases at Delhi conference
NEW DELHI: The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Sunday launched a new surveillance protocol to determine the exact reasons for developing liver cancer and cirrhosis- scarring of the liver that can lead to death.
The tool that was launched on the last day of five-day long AsiaPacific Association for the Study of the Liver (APASL) conference in Delhi, aims to improve understanding of the link between viral hepatitis and its two main consequences: cirrhosis and cancer.
“The new surveillance tool is meant to monitor the consequences of viral hepatitis, especially B & C, in terms of cancer and cirrhosis. It aims to find out what exactly is causing the condition and leading to death,” said Yvan J.F. Hutin, technical officer, global hepatitis programme, department of HIV/AIDS, WHO.
“In the end patients die of either liver cancer or cirrhosis, but through this tool we plan to track patients in hospitals— both in-patient and out-patient departments, to know the cause and impact of medicines. Our target is to reduce mortality due to hepatitis B & C by 65%,” he said.
Data will be collected globally till 2030, after which it will be assessed by experts.
Delhi government’s Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) is the first nodal centre from where data collection has already begun.
“We have been the first ones to document details of our patients for research purposes, especially those suffering from hepatitis B & C,” said Dr SK Sarin, director, ILBS.
Dr Hutin added “We chose Delhi for the launch as Asia is our focus area due to high disease burden.”
Those fighting to stop discrimination against people suffering from blood-borne viral infections — Hepatitis B or C, also found support in the conference as WHO and other stakeholders released a mission statement, urging countries to take steps in the direction.