World Hepatitis Day ― Date, History, and Details
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History of World Hepatitis Day and How to Celebrate/ Observe It
World Hepatitis Day is an annual awareness day to bring attention to the global burden of viral hepatitis and encourage prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. The day was first observed in 2008 and is celebrated on July 28th. The theme for World Hepatitis Day 2020 is “Find the missing millions”.
Viral hepatitis is a serious global health problem. It is estimated that there are 325 million people living with chronic hepatitis B or C worldwide. Most of these people are unaware they have the virus and are at risk of developing liver disease, liver cancer, and death.
In low- and middle-income countries, the majority of people with viral hepatitis do not have access to life-saving diagnosis and treatment. As a result, hepatitis B and C cause an estimated 1.34 million deaths each year, which is more than HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, or malaria.
World Hepatitis Day is an important opportunity to raise awareness of the burden of viral hepatitis and call for action to find the missing millions of people who are living with the virus but don’t know it. Through increased awareness and testing, we can find people with viral hepatitis and get them into care and treatment before they develop serious liver disease.