World Hepatitis Day 2024: Significance, History & Ways To Prevent

Every year on July 28, the world observes World Hepatitis Day as a way to spread awareness about viral hepatitis, an inflammation of the liver that can cause cancer and serious liver disease. The primary viral hepatitis types, A, B, C, D, and E, each have unique health effects and mechanisms of transmission. The day’s goals include campaigning for better public health policy and advancing prevention, testing, and treatment. 

World Hepatitis Day 2024: Significance

World Hepatitis Day plays a crucial role in raising public awareness about viral hepatitis and its impact on public health. This day brings together hepatitis educators, patients, and leaders to discuss various forms of the disease, as well as strategies for testing, treatment, and prevention. It encourages international collaboration and activism to combat the growing toll of hepatitis-related diseases and deaths. By emphasising the importance of broad immunisation, early diagnosis, and increased access to healthcare services, World Hepatitis Day promotes a unified international effort. This collective action is essential to achieve the WHO’s target of eliminating viral hepatitis as a major public health issue by 2030. The disturbing figure that someone dies from hepatitis or related diseases every 30 seconds throughout the world highlights how urgent this awareness campaign is.

World Hepatitis Day 2024: History 

In honour of Dr. Baruch Samuel Blumberg, the American doctor who identified hepatitis B in the 1960s, this day was changed from May 19 to July 28 in 2010. In 2008, the first community-driven World Hepatitis Day was organised by the 2007-founded World Hepatitis Alliance. The purpose of this observance is to support global and national initiatives to combat hepatitis by promoting participation and action from partners, individuals, and the general public. The date, July 28, has been selected to honour Dr. Blumberg’s birthday and his revolutionary contributions to the field of hepatitis research, which include the identification of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and the creation of a vaccine and diagnostic tool for the virus. 

World Hepatitis Day 2024:  Ways To Prevent 

1. Vaccination: Hepatitis A and B vaccinations that work effectively boost the production of antibodies by the immune system without actually spreading the illness.
2. Awareness – Educate the public about hepatitis and urge practices that limit transmission. 
3. Hygiene Practices – Cook food correctly and thoroughly sterilise the food and water.Frequently wash your hands, especially after using a bathroom and before you eat. The risk of hepatitis A and E is decreased by these practices.