World Hepatitis Day to be observed on July 28

World Hepatitis Day will be observed in Mongolia for the seventh year on July 28 under the slogan “Eliminate Hepatitis”.

World Hepatitis Day takes places every year on July 28 under a united goal to raise awareness of the global burden of viral hepatitis. One of just four diseasespecific global awareness days officially endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO), it unites patient organizations, governments, medical professionals, civil society, industry and the general public to boost the global profile of viral hepatitis.

At the 69th World Health Assembly in Geneva, 194 governments adopted WHO’s Global Strategy on Viral Hepatitis, which includes a goal to eliminate hepatitis B and C in the next 13 years.

The Ministry of Health held an event to observe World Hepatitis Day and expressed their appreciation to partner health organizations for aiding in the fight against hepatitis.

“In observance of World Hepatitis Day, our health organizations and private hospitals will revamp efforts to protect the health of our people. We are especially focusing on protecting the rights and interests of those living with hepatitis B and C,” remarked Minister of Health A.Tsogtsetseg.

The minister discussed about how the Cabinet initiative “Healthy Liver” helped Mongolia catch the attention of WHO. The initiative is a nationwide effort to diagnose hepatitis B and C amongst the target age of 40 to 65 years of age. So far, according to the ministry, around 40 percent of the target group, or 230,000 people, have been tested.

“The initiative to diagnose hepatitis B and C, determine their viral load, provide discounts through health insurance are all big steps in increasing the outreach of treatment,” highlighted Minister A.Tsogtsetseg.