The number of deaths caused by viral hepatitis around the world is increasing, according to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO). An estimated 3,500 people succumb to the disease each day, making it the second leading infectious cause of death in 2022, with a death toll matching that of tuberculosis.
The 2024 Global Hepatitis Report, released at the recent World Hepatitis Summit, includes new data from 187 countries, the largest number ever included. From this, the WHO has concluded that deaths from viral hepatitis increased from 1.1 million in 2019 to 1.3 million in 2022. More than 6,000 people are newly infected every day.
What is viral hepatitis?
Hepatitis is the broad term for an infection causing inflammation and damage to the liver. Viral hepatitis is categorized into five main groups, called hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E. If doctors aren’t clear on the cause of someone’s infection, they may refer to it as hepatitis X, or non-A-E hepatitis.
The WHO report focuses on hepatitis B, which accounts for 83 percent of new infections, and hepatitis C, which accounts for 17 percent. Both of these viruses tend to cause chronic infections, which over time can lead to cirrhosis, cancer, and liver failure.
The disease is also prevalent in younger populations, with around half of chronic hepatitis B and C infections occurring in people aged 30-54, and 12 percent in children under 18.
Why are hepatitis death rates rising?
While untreated hepatitis can have severe consequences, with early detection our ability to combat these infections has improved dramatically.
For hepatitis B, the most common route of transmission is during childbirth, but we have safe and effective vaccines that can prevent this. Hepatitis C is caught through exposure to infected blood, such as through unsafe injection practices or, rarely, unprotected sex. While there’s no vaccine yet, the WHO estimates that more than 95 percent of people can be fully cured if they have access to antiviral medication.
But there, unfortunately, lies the problem. The new report highlights that only a small fraction of people infected with hepatitis B and C are being diagnosed in a timely manner and given access to treatment, in line with the WHO’s goals.
For example, in the WHO African region where 63 percent of new hepatitis B infections arise, only 18 percent of newborns are vaccinated. Globally, only 20 percent of people with hepatitis C have received curative treatment, well below the 80 percent target.
According to the report, part of this can be explained by pricing disparities that mean many lower income countries are unable to purchase antiviral drugs at a reasonable cost, even generic medications that are no longer subject to patents. Equally, residents in many countries may be forced to pay for testing and treatment services, which for some will be out of reach.
What can be done to address the problem?
The report contains a number of recommendations which, if implemented swiftly, should get us back on track to achieving the WHO’s goal of ending the hepatitis epidemic by 2030.
These include widening access to diagnostic tests, strengthening prevention efforts, and advancing research to hopefully find a cure for hepatitis B, but the WHO also cautions that global funding for these efforts, as it currently stands, is insufficient.
“This report paints a troubling picture: despite progress globally in preventing hepatitis infections, deaths are rising because far too few people with hepatitis are being diagnosed and treated,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a statement.
“WHO is committed to supporting countries to use all the tools at their disposal – at access prices – to save lives and turn this trend around.”
Source Link: Global Hepatitis Deaths Are On The Up, Jeopardizing Hopes Of Elimination
