▎WuXi AppTec Content Team Editor
Viral hepatitis is one of the infectious diseases responsible for the increase in deaths worldwide. Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) released the "Global Hepatitis Report 2024" (hereinafter referred to as the "Report"), which shows that the number of deaths due to viral hepatitis is increasing globally, with 1.3 million people dying from it every year, which has become the second leading cause of infectious death in the world.
Image source: WHO
The incidence of hepatitis B and C is declining and the mortality rate is increasing globally, and long-term management is still needed
- Prevalence: In 2022, about 254 million people worldwide will be infected with hepatitis B and 50 million people will be infected with hepatitis C, half of which will be concentrated in people aged 30~54, and children under 18 years old will also account for 12%.
- Incidence: There were 2.2 million new viral hepatitis infections in 2022 (1.2 million for hepatitis B and 1 million for hepatitis C), and more than 6,000 people worldwide are infected with viral hepatitis every day, compared to 2.5 million in 2019, the incidence of viral hepatitis decreased in 2022, which may be due to the preventive and aggressive treatment strategies for hepatitis B and C, such as vaccination.
- Mortality: In 2022, about 1.3 million people died from viral hepatitis globally, up from 1.1 million in 2019, and 3,500 people die every day from hepatitis B and C infection. Specifically, the increase in hepatitis B mortality from 820,000 in 2019 to 1.1 million in 2022 may be due to a variety of causes, such as an increase in the proportion of older people living with hepatitis B, while the number of hepatitis C deaths has shown a downward trend, from 290,000 in 2019 to 244,000 in 2022, in part due to the significant development of therapies to cure hepatitis C.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: "Despite some progress in preventing infections globally, the number of deaths is still rising, which means that there are still many patients who need access to diagnosis and treatment. The WHO hopes to work with countries to reverse this trend. ”
According to the report, 2024~2026 is the window period for the prevention and control of hepatitis B and C in the world, and it is estimated that 40 million patients with hepatitis B and 30 million patients with hepatitis C still need treatment to achieve the goal of global prevention and control of viral hepatitis.
Strengthen hepatitis B vaccination rollout and population coverage
Overall, the number of people who receive the standard dose of hepatitis B vaccine at birth is still relatively limited globally. Revaccination against hepatitis B in infancy is necessary to increase protection. The hepatitis B vaccination programme needs to be further rolled out and covered globally.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that all newborns receive the first dose of hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth, followed by a second and third doses during infancy to reduce the possibility of mother-to-child transmission and other transmission of hepatitis B virus. Globally, 115 countries have introduced hepatitis B vaccination after birth, and in 2022, 45% of newborns received their first hepatitis B vaccine 24 hours after birth. Twenty-three countries offer targeted hepatitis B vaccination arrangements for children of HBsAg-positive mothers.
Other high-risk groups for hepatitis B vaccination include healthcare workers, people who have frequent exposure to blood or blood products, people on dialysis, people with diabetes, people who have received solid organ transplants, people with chronic liver disease (e.g., people with hepatitis C, family members of people with chronic hepatitis B), and others.
Looking ahead to 2030
In order to promote the public health management of viral hepatitis, the WHO has proposed relevant key action plans for 2024~2026 to achieve the goal of eliminating viral hepatitis by 2030:
1. Expand the detection and diagnosis of viral hepatitis
2. Provide high-quality, evidence-based medical evidence-based and people-oriented medical services
3. Strengthen the construction of a national viral hepatitis data system
4. Mobilize the masses to participate in the publicity and prevention of viral hepatitis
5. Promote the viral hepatitis research agenda to improve its diagnosis and work towards the goal of curing hepatitis
Click "Read more" at the end of the article to visit the WHO official website to read the full paper.
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Resources
[1] WHO. Global hepatitis report 2024: action for access in low- and middle-income countries. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240091672
[2] WHO. WHO sounds alarm on viral hepatitis infections claiming 3500 lives each day. https://www.who.int/news/item/09-04-2024-who-sounds-alarm-on-viral-hepatitis-infections-claiming-3500-lives-each-day
Source: New Perspectives in Medicine