WHO leads charge to halt killer disease in SE Asia
>> MALE: The World Health Organisation (WHO) said countries in the Southeast Asia region should enhance awareness and actions to eliminate hepatitis, which kills over 400,000 people in the area every year, by 2030.
Speaking at the 70th session of WHO Regional Committee for South East Asia, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia Poonam Khetrapal Singh said that viral hepatitis is still a major public health problem in the region and every person has a stake in controlling and eliminating it.
“Each year viral hepatitis infects millions of people across the region, causing the deaths of about 410,000 people — more than HIV and malaria combined. It is also a major cause of liver cancer and cirrhosis, contributing to premature morbidity and mortality, and undermining economic growth and the push to achieve health and wellbeing for all,” she said.
She said despite hepatitis’ outsized burden, it is estimated that just one in 10 people infected with the disease know their status.
Many others remain unaware that effective treatments exist, or that preventive measures are available, from basic hygiene to the hepatitis B vaccine.
“Regrettably, stigma and discrimination against those suffering the disease remain common,” she said.
She stressed that to overcome these barriers and eliminate hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030, as per regional and global targets, “enhanced awareness and understanding of how to prevent, treat and manage the disease is vital”.
“To achieve this, health authorities across the region can increase the prominence of hepatitis-related information and advocacy. Clear, concise and accurate messaging regarding how hepatitis infection can be prevented, what its signs and symptoms are and how it can be treated is essential to empowering people to take action,” she said.
She said health authorities can expand hepatitis-related knowledge and skills of health workers at all levels.
“This can be done by enhancing medical and other health professional school curricula, creating and disseminating robust guidelines on all aspects of hepatitis testing, treatment and care and providing specialised training on outbreak management,” she said.
She stressed that clear directives on avoiding unnecessary injections and using reuse prevention syringes wherever injections are required can go a long way in decreasing the hepatitis burden.
“WHO Southeast Asia is committed to doing this, and to supporting all countries in the region implement comprehensive strategic action plans to tackle hepatitis. Through our collective resolve, we can enhance hepatitis-related awareness and action and eliminate the disease as a public health threat by 2030,” she said.
At the recent Regional Committee session, 11 member countries adopted the regional action plan to end viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030. Using the framework of universal health coverage to ensure that no one is left behind, WHO has developed the plan in consultation with Member countries, community leaders, development partners, academia and professional societies. The regional action plan provides a framework for implementing evidence based interventions.
As preventive measures the WHO has been advocating for vaccinating newborns with hepatitis B first at birth and then two to three doses of the vaccine as part of routine immunisation schedule, safe blood and safe injection practices; improved sanitation, safe water and food safety; and most importantly scaling up testing and treatment of hepatitis B and C to prevent complications such as liver cirrhosis and cancer.
Amitabh Bachchan, WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Hepatitis in the Region, also called for an end to discrimination against people diagnosed with hepatitis infection.
“If this ailment is detected in time and care can be taken, there are medications that can halt this virus. A very high burden of hepatitis exists in the Southeast Asia region. Whatever work we can do to eliminate hepatitis — to detect and cure it — we must do,” Mr Bachchan said.
He said, “This is a moral and social issue. Discrimination against people with hepatitis continues to happen socially in our midst. There are women who are refused marriage, women who are refused the ability to bear children because they have hepatitis B and there are countries who deny visas to people with hepatitis.”