World Hepatitis Day: PAHO calls for expanded access to diagnosis and treatment – PAHO/WHO

Washington, DC, July 25, 2024 (PAHO) – On the eve of World Hepatitis Day (July 28), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) urges countries to expand access to testing and treatment for viral hepatitis, which affects more than ten million people in the Americas, of whom only 23% are diagnosed.

Of the five types of hepatitis, B and C are responsible for the majority of illnesses and deaths. An estimated 60,000 to 100,000 people in the Americas die from these diseases each year. Most symptoms appear during the later stages of the disease, after severe liver disease or cancer has developed.

«Hepatitis B and C are chronic silent infections that can progress to cirrhosis or liver cancer. The good news is that there are medications that can cure hepatitis C, as well as effective treatments to control hepatitis B,» said Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, Director of PAHO. «It is crucial to strengthen our efforts and investments to end this public health problem,» he added.

According to the World Health Organization report for 2024 World report on hepatitisWorldwide, only 36% of people infected with hepatitis C are diagnosed and 20% receive curative treatment. As for chronic hepatitis B, only 13% of those infected are diagnosed and 2.6% receive life-saving medication.

Vaccination against hepatitis B, included in the vaccination schedules of all countries and territories in the region, is helping to eliminate mother-to-child transmission during childbirth as a public health problem, which underlines the importance of continuing vaccination to prevent infection in new generations.

Under the slogan “Time to act!” on this World Day, PAHO emphasizes the urgency of accelerating measures to improve prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of the disease. PAHO works in collaboration with countries in the region to design and implement national policies for the elimination of hepatitis, with strategies focused on primary care. It also facilitates access to diagnostic tests, treatments, and vaccines at more affordable prices through its Regional Revolving Funds.

The global reference price for curative treatment of hepatitis C is US$60 for a 12-week course of treatment, and for hepatitis B, it is US$2.4 per month.

World Hepatitis Day, celebrated on 28 July, is an opportunity to step up the global fight against these diseases, promote action and participation by individuals, partners and the public, and underline the need for a stronger global response.

The day is commemorated on July 28 to celebrate the birth of Dr. Baruch Blumberg, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1976 for his discovery of the hepatitis B virus in 1967 and his contribution to the invention of a diagnostic test and the corresponding vaccine.

Hepatitis B and C, along with mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B, are included in PAHO’s Elimination Initiative, which aims to eliminate more than 30 communicable diseases and related conditions in the Americas by 2030.