World Hepatitis Day Theme 2024: Everything You Need to Know

Every year, a particular day, the 28th of July, is dedicated to World Hepatitis Day to combat this chronic infection. People's access to life is at stake because of this severe liver disease. Therefore, governments worldwide have joined hands in elimination goals to eradicate Chronic Hepatitis, making a Hepatitis free world. To ensure this, World Hepatitis Day is celebrated every year with different themes. For instance, the World Hepatitis Day theme for 2024 is "It's time for action".

Know About the Disease-Viral Hepatitis

Viral Hepatitis has been a real concern when the public health response is taken into account. It is a silent killer as it causes inflammation of the liver, which slowly turns into a chronic liver disease, including liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. This fulminant liver disease, which is caused by viral infections, poses a threat to community health.

The Hepatitis virus consists of mainly five strains: A, B, C, D, and E. The Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C viruses are the leading causes of annual deaths. This tropical disease continued to increase the death toll even during the pandemic.

Why is the Disease Hepatitis a Public Health Threat?

It has been identified that chronic Hepatitis B remains the most pressing issue worldwide, where more than 300 million are combatting this deadly virus. Lack of awareness about Hepatitis makes them easy prey to liver failure, which can be fatal to the extent of liver cancer. It ranks after COVID-19 on the list of communicable diseases that need timely testing and access to testing.

Access to testing is one of the largest impediments to eliminating chronic Hepatitis infections because of the stigma associated with it. Hepatitis B virus primarily occurs via transmission of blood from mother to child. The lack of proper knowledge about the treatment of Hepatitis, even among health professionals, is alarming.

Besides the Hepatitis B virus, eliminating Hepatitis C remains a major concern. This is because, according to a survey conducted by SRL Diagnostics on Viral Hepatitis in 2017, it has been identified that most North Indian people suffer from this type of chronic Hepatitis. According to the report made by WHO (World Health Organization), the results were not promising, but at least both the diagnosis and treatment had undergone a steady rise.

Why is World Hepatitis Day Celebrated Every Year?

World Hepatitis Day is celebrated every year to spread awareness among people to seize the Hepatitis related deaths that happen every year. The campaigns are conducted as a wake-up call to the government to implement policies and public health grants for people infected by chronic Hepatitis disease. Therefore, the 28th of July has been celebrated as World Hepatitis Day every year.

The History Behind World Hepatitis Day

Every event of our lives is backed up by history, and a day dedicated to a special cause is no exception. World Hepatitis Day is chosen to be the 28th of July to honour the birthday of Nobel-prize winner Dr Baruch Samuel Blumberg, who discovered the Hepatitis B virus. Through his sheer interest in parasitology, he not only discovered the virus but also how to conduct a diagnostic test and the first-ever hepatitis-B vaccine.

Blumberg's pathbreaking discovery in medical science opened the door to treating this deadly virus, which had been an enigma. Therefore, his birthday is commemorated as World Hepatitis Day every year.

Why is World Hepatitis Day Theme 2024 Titled 'It's Time For Action'?

Every year, a unique World Hepatitis Day theme is selected, which addresses the state of this deadly virus. In this year 2024, the theme is 'It's time for action'. The theme is selected to initiate the campaign materials regarding people's equitable access to timely treatment and diagnosis of these water-borne diseases.

WHO, along with other communities across the globe, has joined hands in the challenge to curb Hepatitis-related deaths by 2030. To achieve this goal, it is essential to follow the World Hepatitis Day theme, proactively act, and collaborate on this mission.

What Elimination Goals Need to Be Adopted to Ensure a Hepatitis-Free Future?

To reach the goal of a Hepatitis-free future, people need to adopt certain preventive measures, and these are:

1. Knowing about the chronic Hepatitis virus and its treatment is the primary thing one must work on.
2. Adult vaccination against Hepatitis B is available, so it is advisable to take at least two boosts of the vaccine. The Hepatitis C virus can be combated by safe oral treatments.
3. Healthcare workers should be particularly careful with the infections of Hepatitis that undergo transmission from mother to child.
4. One should primarily focus on one's health by maintaining a proper, balanced, and healthy diet. Having filtered or boiled drinking water is essential to prevent water-borne diseases from contaminated water. Ensuring these primary thumb rules will prevent liver failure and, thereby, Liver Cirrhosis.
5. Action on Hepatitis elimination can be taken only if equitable access to Hepatitis treatment is ensured. Therefore, no one should be discriminated from treatment based on the stigma of communicable disease. The emotional toll based on this discrimination makes it more difficult to get effective treatment.
6. People should be proactive in reaching out to local charities or organizations like the World Hepatitis Alliance and Hepatitis B Foundation to donate to this noble cause of preventing Hepatitis viruses.
7. Nothing can be better than using social media as a campaign material or platform to spread awareness about Hepatitis by making campaign videos, blog posts, or posters. Individual engagement helps to spread the guidelines of Hepatitis in simple terms.
8. Staying educated and updated and encouraging others to do so is one of the key steps in achieving the milestone of a Hepatitis-free future.
9. Most importantly, the government must ensure policies and financial resources are in place for affordable testing services. Comprehensive Hepatitis services in rural health departments would also ensure timely testing and equitable treatment of Hepatitis.

Conclusion

The World Hepatitis Day theme of 2024, which calls for 'It's time to action', echoes the voices of people living in the poignant situation of being unable to fight lung cancer and acute Hepatitis infections. Therefore, the government, NGOs, and individuals should join hands together to eradicate this virus. No one should die from Hepatitis infections due to lack or ignorance of treatment. Let's take the pledge to act on eliminating Hepatitis from this world.

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