Despite its high health, social, and economic implications, hepatitis C, including chronic hepatitis C, is widespread worldwide.
Egypt has one of the world’s highest hepatitis C prevalence rates and is almost completely free of the disease.
If political leaders band together, Egypt’s methodology to eradicate hepatitis C could serve as a guide for the rest of the globe by 2030.
Annual deaths from hepatitis B and C exceed 1.1 million. Only two percent of the estimated 296 million persons with hepatitis B in the globe are receiving treatment. Only 21 percent of the 58 million individuals globally who have hepatitis C are diagnosed, and less than two-thirds of those are receiving treatment for the treatable disease.
Nevertheless, despite the severity of the issue, viral hepatitis is being defeated with surprising success. Between 2015 and 2019, the number of persons undergoing hepatitis C treatment grew by nine. Egypt, which has the highest hepatitis rates in the world, tested 50 million individuals between 2014 and 2020, treated four million patients, and is on track to eradicate hepatitis C within its borders.
To help nations carry out their objectives to eradicate hepatitis, the World Economic Forum is collaborating with stakeholders from the hepatitis community.
To commemorate World Hepatitis Day, five representatives from groups involved in the Hepatitis Elimination Initiative shared their opinions on what needs to be done for hepatitis to be eradicated globally.
RELATED: Hepatitis B Shots Advised for All U.S. Adults Younger Than 60 Years Old
Hepatitis Treatment? Partnership
Robert Ford, President and CEO of Abbott Laboratories
Hepatitis can be cured.
We have the skills and expertise as a global society. We must gather our combined willpower to complete the task.
Such a program consists of four components: testing, treatment, vaccination, and education.
Peer healthcare innovators are active in the second two, while Abbott has been extensively involved in the first two. Along the entire chain, public health partners—including governments, international organizations, NGOs, and others—are crucial.
Our collaboration with the Egyptian Ministry of Health to conduct a mass screening program that examined over 60 million people, of whom more than two million required treatment and eventually received it, serves as a potent illustration. We are attempting to implement this program in other nations. Regarding education, we supported awareness campaigns in numerous nations and sponsored the African Hepatitis Summit in Kampala, Uganda.
Collaborating across sectors is the only way to address significant global issues. We cannot accomplish it on our own.
Promoting a Multifaceted Agenda
The WHO’s deputy director-general, Dr. Zsusanna Jakab
If we want to eradicate hepatitis by 2030, advocacy, high-level governmental commitment, and solid partnerships, including community engagement, are essential. Countries must adopt the WHO’s evidence-based normative recommendations and public health methods for hepatitis prevention, treatment, and care more quickly.
One of our primary duties will be to redirect hepatitis programs toward a comprehensive public health approach to achieve our global SDG goals of a 90 percent reduction in new hepatitis infections and a 65 percent reduction in mortality. Asserting financial security and health fairness for everyone would include leading a multisectoral strategy to leverage the response across healthcare systems strengthening, including immunization, infection control, harm reduction, and testing and treatment services.
Innovations from COVID-19 have the potential to shift the course of the global hepatitis response, open up new possibilities, and give people hope that viral hepatitis will no longer be a danger to public health by 2030.
RELATED: Hepatitis A vs. Hepatitis C: What’s the Difference?
Integration—Always, Always, Always
Professor of Pediatrics at Ain Shams University and board member of ICE-HBV and The Hepatitis Fund, Manal El-Sayed
Egypt was able to achieve significant progress toward the elimination of hepatitis by addressing this significant public health issue on a whole society level.
Egypt tested 60 million people for hepatitis C by combining it with NCD (non-communicable disease) screening at primary healthcare institutions. Now, a triple elimination of mother-to-child transmission is being pursued using this fully integrated method (HBV, HIV, and Syphilis).
The nation as a whole was mobilized, which helped Egypt succeed. Nine million students took tests in class. The mobilization of the community and leadership benefited greatly from civil society. The funding for screening, diagnosis, and treatment was provided by large and small enterprises, trust funds, and charitable organizations in certain locations even before the government could. All ministries made donations to the cause, demonstrating unwavering political commitment. Everyone joined the effort after the media got involved.
We diagnosed and treated more than three million people because of the political leadership’s successful volume price negotiations.
Take Immediate Action!
President of the World Hepatitis Alliance, Dr. Su Wang
The most underappreciated global health emergency of our time is viral hepatitis. It’s difficult for hepatitis patients like me to comprehend how we permit this tragedy to persist. One of us dies from our disease every 30 seconds. Every death results in losing a loved one or a family without a parent, kid, or spouse.
For hepatitis B, there are vaccinations, effective treatments, and a cure. Hepatitis can be cured with these techniques, but the process is too sluggish. Hepatitis must be treated immediately. Deaths are occurring.
How many more children’s lives must be lost before all infants are given a cheap vaccine? How many more people must pass away from liver cancer brought on by chronic hepatitis infection until everyone has access to treatments?
National governments, international donors, development funds, and organizations have accepted the needless fatalities brought on by hepatitis by remaining silent. They have to decide and do.
What Will Make Hepatitis Go Away? Take Immediate Action
Coalition for Global Hepatitis Elimination Director Dr. John Ward
More than seven million deaths will be avoided if hepatitis is completely eradicated by 2030.
Countries that have achieved early success in adopting elimination targets have identified the following program elements:
- Strategic data for national planning and program performance monitoring
- International support to spark national initiatives and “micro-elimination” pilots
- National action strategy, including policies for testing, treatment, and prevention
- coalitions to assemble communal and political resources
- Put equity first and work to close health inequities.
- Hepatitis eradication services being included in current health systems
- Maintaining national funding until eradication goals are met
- Involvement in operational research
- Adjusting goals as program experience is gained
The Coalition for Global Hepatitis Elimination and coalitions in 30 countries start creating national hepatitis elimination profiles on World Hepatitis Day. These profiles will highlight the benefits and drawbacks of each component and advocate for workable next steps that will speed up the process of hepatitis elimination.
