Hepatitis is a most serious health disorder of an important body organ called liver. Without liver or liver with any chronic disease, one cannot imagine his/her healthy life. So, it is very necessary to eradicate the problems of liver and other body organs to live healthy live as well as making world, a disease free world. This article is a small and great message to everyone to be aware about the hepatitis.
This year the World Hepatitis Day was celebrated on Sunday, 28th July 2019 with the theme “Invest in Eliminating Hepatitis”.
This year, Pakistan played the host of World Hepatitis Day. Several global events were organized in Pakistan’s capital city of Islamabad from 27-28th July 2019.
Many events were organized throughout the globe on World Hepatitis Day. A “Run for Hepatitis Awareness” was organized, jointly by Chandigarh Marathon Group and Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh.
An awareness raising camp was also organized at Karachi, Pakistan. Youth performances, awareness sessions and community screening were a part of this event.
Similarly at an event in Calcutta, children from orphanages were screened for possible hepatitis infection, by Budi Lukmanto Foundation, a nonprofit organization working for the immunization of children against Hepatitis.
Hepatitis awareness and free screening camps were organized in different locations all throughout India. Thousands of people were screened and thousands were given free treatment.
All India Radio Pondicherry transmitted a three minute program, every day, to raise awareness, precautions and treatment about hepatitis. The program started in the last week of July and will continue till month end.
RANN foundation of India, under the project #NOhepDelhi organized a mega education program in the Indian capital of Delhi, which was attended by over 16000 students and 800 teachers from several schools in Delhi and surrounding area.
World Hepatitis Day is being celebrated every year on 28th of July aiming to make aware the common people globally about hepatitis. It is the world level awareness program launched as a global public health campaign by the World Health Organization to make the world a hepatitis free world.
Earlier it was being celebrated as an international Hepatitis C Awareness day by the patient groups of European and Middle Eastern regions on 1st of October in 2004 however in some regions it was mark as a hepatitis day on different dates. In order to make this a best awareness campaign in 2008, the World Hepatitis Alliance has declared 19th of May as the first World Hepatitis Day in association with the patient groups.
However, the date was changed to 28th of July after the adoption of earlier declaration in the 63rd World Health Assembly in the month of May 2010. It was titled as the World Hepatitis Day focusing to raise the awareness on national and international level through great efforts. 28th of July was declared as the final date for the celebration of World Hepatitis Day globally to honor the “Nobel Laureate Baruch Samuel Blumberg” on his birthday anniversary (28th of July) as he discovered the hepatitis B virus.
World Hepatitis Day was established to be celebrated on 28th of July in order to expand the educational areas as well as provide opportunities to new generations to get better understandings about viral hepatitis to enhance global public health by solving problems. It is being celebrating very actively in more than 100 countries worldwide by organizing lots of effective activities.
Hepatitis is the liver infection and inflammation caused by the virus. Five types of the hepatitis have been detected caused by different viruses and named as hepatitis A, B, C, D, E. A and E type are short term infection and known as acute infection however B, C and D type are long-term infection and called as chronic hepatitis.
Second one may lead to some life threatening complications including cirrhosis means liver scarring, liver cancer, liver failure and so many. More than 1.5 million people are getting die every year because of this dangerous disease whereas 4.4 million Americans are living with the infection of this chronic hepatitis.
People may be infected with the hepatitis A due to the food and water contamination with fecal matter. Hepatitis B is most common problem caused in many regions of the world especially in the Asian and African countries. Vaccines are available for both type hepatitis A and B. Hepatitis C can be caused by the sharing of needles, equipment injecting cosmetic substances, steroids or drugs.
Know More Hepatitis is a national Hepatitis C education campaign designed to decrease the burden of chronic Hepatitis C. The campaign is aimed at increasing awareness about this hidden epidemic and encouraging people who may be chronically infected with Hepatitis C to get tested.
Most of the persons suffering from the viral hepatitis do not develop any obvious symptoms in the starting period which may lead to the some serious liver problems like liver damage, liver cancer and failure which needs liver transplant.
World hepatitis day is celebrated annually to encourage the common public for the early diagnosis, prevention and treatment from the hepatitis. Millions of people have been affected worldwide with the acute and chronic hepatitis and getting die in large number every year.
People get stimulated through the celebration activities and know in detail about all the preventive and control measures of the hepatitis. It needs a broad level of awareness worldwide which is possible by getting participated in the events and activities in the nearest areas with the help of WHD toolkit. Some of the objectives of celebrating world hepatitis day are mentioned below:
> To provides an opportunity to all focusing together on this issue.
> To raise common public awareness about various forms of the hepatitis including means of transmission.
> To strengthen people by letting them know about different measures like prevention, early diagnosis, screening, control and etc.
> To increase the awareness about hepatitis A and B vaccines.
> To get global response of the people in order to implement some solid steps towards the hepatitis.
> To expand the educational areas for immunization, prevention, diagnosis and control.
> To enhance the awareness about comprehensive care and treatment of people suffering from hepatitis.
> To increase public awareness about the risk factors, remove social stigma and promote for early testing.
> To implement new training methods and number of skilled medical professionals in order to enhance the quality care.
> To promote various health and governments organizations worldwide for their active involvement in the event to create new strategies against hepatitis.
> To promote professional staff members to actively participate in the event.
World Hepatitis Day is celebrated all around the world at many places including public places and clinical areas by organizing various activities and events involving professional and common people. Variety of activities include arranging free screenings, tests, diagnosis, poster campaigns, concerts, talk shows, demonstrations, competitive activities, essay writing, flash mobs, vaccination camps, increasing awareness through social media websites, newspapers, posters distribution, diet education, art exhibition, discussion on health care topics, speech, sports and so many.
Mass crowd of the people from nearby areas get together during the celebration to become active participants of the event as well as distribute related messages of hepatitis to other community people.
> The theme of 2019 is “Invest in Eliminating Hepatitis”.
> The theme of 2018 was “Test. Treat. Hepatitis”.
> The theme of 2017 was “Eliminate hepatitis”.
> The theme of 2016 was “Prevent Hepatitis: It’s up to you”.
> The theme of 2015 was “Prevention of Viral Hepatitis. Act now”.
> The theme of 2014 was “Hepatitis: Think Again”.
> The theme of 2013 was “More must be done to stop this silent killer”.
> The theme of 2012 was “It’s closer than you think”.
> The theme of 2011 was “Hepatitis affects everyone, everywhere. Know it. Confront it”.
> The theme of 2010 was “This is hepatitis”.
> The theme of 2009 was “Am I Number 12?”.
> The theme of 2008 was “Am I Number 12?”.