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- World Hepatitis Day
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- Unified health days
- World Hepatitis Day
World Hepatitis Day
July 28th

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared July 28 as World Viral Hepatitis Day. In 2018, it will be held under the motto: “Prevent hepatitis. Act without delay . "
Hepatitis is an inflammatory disease of the liver, usually of viral origin.
The main five hepatitis viruses (A, B, C, D and E) are different from each other, transmitted through different routes, affecting different populations and causing different health effects.
Widespread distribution, disease burden from complications and disability, and potential to cause disease outbreaks require a unified action and effective response to all five virus types.
According to WHO statistics, about 2 billion people on the planet suffer from viral hepatitis - that’s one in three.
Approximately 1.5 million cases of infection with viral hepatitis A (hereinafter referred to as HAV) and approximately 20 million cases of infection with viral hepatitis E (hereinafter referred to as HEV) are registered annually.
In the Republic of Belarus, hepatitis A and E viruses are rare. Epidemiological data indicate that 1-2 people out of 100,000 are infected with them. Moreover, every fifth person becomes infected during a tourist or business trip abroad, where HAV and HEV are widespread, especially in hot countries of Asia and Africa.
The incidence of HAV in the Republic of Belarus in 2017 was 1.5 cases per 100 thousand population, in the 1st half of 2018 – 0.55 cases per 100 thousand population; HEV – 0.04 and 0.02 cases per 100 thousand population, respectively.
Immunization of persons who have been in contact with sick people in HAV outbreaks (including in children's organized groups), provided for by the List of preventive vaccinations for epidemiological indications, approved by Resolution of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus dated May 17, 2018 No. 42, allows you to effectively prevent the spread of infection and prevent consecutive cases of diseases in foci.
Providing the population with water and food of guaranteed quality, sanitary improvement of territories, protecting water supplies and surface water bodies from pollution, disseminating knowledge about the need to observe personal hygiene measures and other preventive measures create the basis for the prevention and spread of group cases of HAV disease in our country.
According to new data presented in the WHO Global Hepatitis Report, parenteral viral hepatitis (PVH) is one of the most serious global health problems. More than 1 million people worldwide die each year from causes associated with PIH, which is comparable to deaths from tuberculosis and more than deaths from HIV.
In the Republic of Belarus, about 5,000 new cases of PIH infection are registered annually, of which HCV accounts for 75% of all cases, and HBV for 25%. One of the reasons for this disproportion is the lack of vaccines to prevent viral hepatitis C.
Vaccination against viral hepatitis B has made it possible over the past 15 years to reliably reduce the incidence of acute hepatitis B (hereinafter referred to as HBV) by 7 times, to achieve almost complete absence of registration of cases of the disease in children and to consider the Republic of Belarus as a country with a low prevalence of HBV (less than 2% of the population).
Over the past 15 years, against the background of a 4.6-fold decrease in the incidence of acute forms of PIH, the incidence of chronic PIH has increased by 1.9 times.
In the Republic of Belarus, according to epidemiological surveillance data, among the established routes of transmission of PIH, the sexual route dominates, which in 2017 accounted for 31% of cases of diseases with an established route of transmission; non-medical manipulations – 10%; injection of narcotic drugs – 9%; intra-family transmission – 3%; vertical path – less than 1%.
Sources of viral infection are persons with acute or chronic forms of the disease, virus carriers. Many infected people are unaware of the disease or are carrying the virus, do not seek medical help, and can become a cause of infection to other people.
You can become infected with hepatitis B or C as a result of violating safety rules during procedures and manipulations that involve violating the integrity of the skin (injections, manicure, pedicure, piercing, tattooing, scarring, etc.), including those carried out at home using non-sterile instruments. There is a high risk of infection during unprotected (without using a condom) sexual intercourse. The risk increases several times with frequent changes of sexual partners, or with sexual contact with an infected partner.
PIH infection can occur through household contacts if one of the family members is infected. At the same time, viruses are not transmitted by talking, sneezing, with saliva, as well as by shaking hands, hugging, or using shared utensils. The only dangerous items are those that may contain blood: razors, manicure accessories, toothbrush, comb, washcloth, towel. For each family member, these hygiene items must be individual.
Timely diagnosis of the disease during pregnancy requires special attention. Timely measures can be taken to avoid infection of the fetus.
Without proper treatment, PIH can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer, which subsequently leads to organ failure and death. Most patients with PIH are able-bodied citizens aged 18-39 years.
The widespread prevalence, frequent asymptomatic course, high risk of complications, and high cost of treatment of viral hepatitis determine the crucial importance of preventive measures, including a responsible attitude towards one’s own health and the health of those around each citizen.
Over the next 13 years, WHO has launched a global strategy to eliminate viral hepatitis .
WHO targets are to reduce deaths by 65% and treat 80% of infected people worldwide. In this way, around 7 million lives could be saved worldwide.
In order to reduce the spread of PIH in our country, a set of sanitary and anti-epidemic measures is being implemented, including:
- conducting annual testing for markers of PVH viruses of persons at risk (pregnant women, medical workers, donors and recipients of blood and its products, other patients receiving highly invasive medical care, contact persons in foci of infection, etc.), allowing for timely detection and prevention of the disease before complications develop;
- vaccination of the population. To protect the population against HBV with the help of vaccinations in the Republic of Belarus, population groups with an increased risk of infection have been identified, including: children in the first days of life; contact in foci of infection; children and adults receiving medical care using blood and (or) its components; patients of hemodialysis departments and with oncohematological diseases; medical workers who have contact with biological fluids; workers involved in the production of medicines from donor and placental blood; pupils and students of medical colleges and universities. Vaccination is also recommended for injection drug users and HIV-infected people;
- When providing medical care to the population, disposable medical instruments are used as much as possible, modern means of disinfection and methods of sterilization of medical products are used. The needs of healthcare organizations in the republic for disposable medical products for invasive medical interventions are being met. A set of measures is provided to ensure the safety of donor blood and its products.
These and other sanitary, anti-epidemic and preventive measures effectively influenced the epidemiological situation regarding PIH in the Republic of Belarus. However, combating the spread of PIH is only possible through the joint efforts of medical workers, the population, and the public.
Currently, PIH is a treatable disease; early detection and timely treatment ensures a complete cure and minimizes the risk of infecting other people with these infections.
Epidemiologist, State Institution “Republican Center for Hygiene, Epidemiology and Public Health” E.M. Fedorova