In a recent report released by the World Health Organization (WHO), it has been revealed that the hepatitis virus is responsible for the death of approximately 3,500 individuals on a daily basis.
This shocking statistic has prompted the WHO to urgently call for immediate action in order to combat this second-largest infectious killer in the world.
New data collected from 187 countries has highlighted a significant increase in the number of deaths caused by viral hepatitis, with the toll rising from 1.1 million in 2019 to a staggering 1.3 million in 2022. These distressing figures were unveiled as part of the WHO’s report coinciding with the World Hepatitis Summit taking place in Portugal this week.
Meg Doherty, the head of WHO’s global HIV, hepatitis, and sexually transmitted infection programmes, expressed great concern during a press conference, emphasizing the urgent nature of the situation at hand.
It is clear that immediate action is necessary in order to prevent further loss of life and effectively combat the deadly hepatitis virus.
The report elaborated, “there are 3,500 deaths per day worldwide from hepatitis infections — 83 percent from hepatitis B, 17 percent from hepatitis C.”
The report highlights that there are inexpensive and efficient generic medications available to effectively combat these viruses.
It also reveals that by the end of 2020, only three percent of individuals suffering from chronic hepatitis B received antiviral treatment, reflecting a significant gap in addressing this issue. In the case of hepatitis C, it is evident that only 20 percent or around 12.5 million people have undergone treatment, which is far below the international objective of treating 80 percent of all individuals with chronic hepatitis B and C by 2030.
However, it is worth mentioning that there has been a slight decrease in the overall rate of hepatitis infections.
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