World Hepatitis Day

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, we can recognize how crucial it is that governments stay committed to addressing public health threats. With that, it is important we acknowledge July 28th as World Hepatitis Day, one of the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) seven officially mandated global public health days.

290 million people are living with viral hepatitis, unaware of their status. This year’s theme is to “find the missing millions” in order to reach a future free of viral hepatitis by the year 2030. Some important steps we can take in order to get there, outlined by the WHO, include:

• Prevent: Prevent infection among newborns by staying committed to newborn vaccination.

• Test & treat: It is important that pregnant women are tested and treated for conditions they can pass on to their children, including hepatitis B, HIV and syphilis.

• Include: Everyone should have access to hepatitis prevention, testing and treatment services.

• Expand: Expand access to testing and treatment.

• Maintain: Maintain essential hepatitis services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Please visit the following resources in order to learn more about the campaign: https://www.worldhepatitisday.org/, www.who.int/campaigns/world-hepatitis-day and explore the hashtags #WorldHepatitisDay and #FindTheMissingMillions on social media!