WHO demands urgent action to curb hepatitis
Action
Geneva, July 23, 2015 (Xinhua/NAN) On the occasion of World Hepatitis Day on July 28, the World Health Organisation (WHO) Thursday called for enhanced action to prevent viral hepatitis infection.
The organisation in a statement also demanded concerted efforts to ensure that infected people were diagnosed and offered treatment.
The theme for World Hepatitis Day 2015 is the prevention of viral hepatitis.
This year, WHO is focusing particularly on hepatitis B and C, which together, cause approximately 80 per cent of all liver cancer deaths and kill close to 1.4 million people every year.
WHO said the risks of contracting hepatitis from unsafe blood, unsafe injections, and sharing drug-injection equipment was high.
It said some 11 million people who inject drugs have hepatitis B or C infection. While children born to mothers with hepatitis B or C and sex partners of people with hepatitis also risk becoming infected.
The UN health agency said there was the need for all health services to reduce risks by using only sterilised equipment for injections and other medical procedures.
It said there was also the need to test all donated blood and blood components for hepatitis B and C as well as promote the use of the hepatitis B vaccine.
“Approximately, two million people yearly contract hepatitis from unsafe injections.
These infections can be averted through the use of sterilised syringes that are specifically designed to prevent reuse,” WHO said.
It recommended vaccinating all children against hepatitis B infection, from which approximately 780,000 people die each year.
“A safe and effective vaccine can protect from hepatitis B infection for life. Ideally, the vaccine should be given as soon as possible after birth, preferably within 24 hours”, it said.
According to WHO, since 1982 over one billion doses of hepatitis B vaccine have been used worldwide and millions of deaths from liver cancer and cirrhosis have been prevented. (Xinhua/NAN)
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