Context
The Global Hepatitis Report 2024 by the World Health Organization (WHO) is a comprehensive document that presents the latest estimates on the disease burden and the coverage of essential viral hepatitis services from 187 countries across the world.
Key highlights from the report
- Consolidated Data for Action: This report is the first consolidated WHO report on viral hepatitis epidemiology, service coverage, and product access. It provides improved data for action against the global hepatitis epidemic.
- Disease Burden and Service Coverage: The paper shows the most updated data on the global disease burden of viral hepatitis as well as the latest coverage level of these services aimed at eradicating the disease. These countries, representing 187, showcase not only the consequences of hepatitis, but the global influence that this entity has.
- Progress Since 2019: So far as the comparison to the same report that was published in 2019 is concerned, most major improvements were made in low- and middle-income countries’ access to hepatitis B & C treatments. It follows information from 38 countries from all over the globe, which boast 80% of global viral hepatitis infections and deaths.
- Regional Perspectives: The report is paradigmatic in showing the regional trends and the specific problem and opportunities for each of the six WHO regions in developing a monopoly over health products production for viral hepatitis. The regional analysis of this context is an integral part of the process of understanding that a variety of problems may be encountered in different parts of the world.
- Actions for Acceleration: It sets forth an action plan for countries and partners to enhance the planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of successful viral hepatitis prevention programs. Based on the report, the strategy aims to become a shared enterprise to fight hepatitis and to ensure that the WHO goal to have gone past viral hepatitis as a health security threat by the year 2030 will be achieved.
- Access to Health Products: An important part of the report is to increase availability of hepatitis products for viral patients from the countries of low and middle-income. It involves the research of how much progress has been made in making these products to consumers affordable, fast and easy to use.
India’s Burden related to Hepatitis
- India has a high prevalence of viral hepatitis, with approximately 2.9 crore people living with Hepatitis B and 0.55 crore living with Hepatitis C.
- In 2022, there were over 50,000 new cases of Hepatitis B and 1.4 lakh new cases of Hepatitis C reported, resulting in 1.23 lakh deaths.
- The main reasons for the occurrence of these infections is an infected blood or mother to child transmission or using unfilled syringes by drug addicts or sharing the same needles.
- Despite low detection rate, only about 2.4% for Hepatitis B and 28%, as well as treatment coverage rate of the disease at 0% and 21% for Hepatitis C.
- The implementation National Viral Hepatitis Control Program is recommended to ensure that all HCV patients have access to affordable diagnosis and treatment services and should all receive therapy shortly after diagnosis and not just when the disease becomes serious to reduce health consequences and transmission.
Conclusion
The Global Hepatitis Report 2024 serves as a critical resource for policymakers, healthcare providers, and stakeholders involved in the fight against viral hepatitis. It underscores the importance of global cooperation and the need for increased efforts to provide access to essential services and products to those most in need.
Source: WHO
UPSC Mains Practice Question
Q.Examine the global burden of Hepatitis and its socio-economic implications. Discuss the strategies employed by countries and international organisations to combat Hepatitis, with a focus on prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and public awareness campaigns.
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