WHO calls for urgent efforts in Southeast Asia to enhance access to hepatitis prevention, vaccination, diagnosis, and treatment to curb rising liver cancer deaths.
WHO Calls for Accelerated Action Against Hepatitis to Address Increasing Liver Cancer Deaths in South-East Asia
The World Health Organization (WHO) has called on countries in the South-East Asia Region to urgently enhance efforts to ensure universal access to prevention, vaccination, diagnosis, and treatment of viral hepatitis B and C. Despite being preventable and treatable, these chronic infections are increasingly causing serious illness and deaths from liver cancer, cirrhosis, and liver failure.
Liver cancer is currently the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths in the region and the second most common cause of cancer deaths among men. Nearly 75% of liver cirrhosis cases are attributed to hepatitis B and C infections. As of 2022, the South-East Asia Region accounted for 70.5 million people living with viral hepatitis B and C. Early testing and treatment can cure hepatitis C and prevent hepatitis B from causing liver cirrhosis and cancer, potentially reversing predictions that liver cancer rates in the region could double by 2050 to over 200,000 deaths annually.
“We have the knowledge and tools to prevent, diagnose, and treat viral hepatitis, yet people with chronic hepatitis B and C are still waiting to access the services they need. We need to accelerate efforts to deliver equitable services closer to communities, at the primary health care level,” said Ms. Saima Wazed, Regional Director for WHO South-East Asia, on World Hepatitis Day. The theme this year is ‘It’s time for action’.
Globally, hepatitis B and C combined cause 3,500 deaths per day, with 6,000 people newly infected each day. An estimated 254 million people are living with hepatitis B, and 50 million people with hepatitis C worldwide. Many remain undiagnosed, and even when diagnosed, the number of people receiving services and treatment remains extremely low.
In 2022, approximately 1.3 million people died from viral hepatitis, matching the death toll caused by tuberculosis. Viral hepatitis and tuberculosis were the second leading causes of death among communicable diseases in 2022, following COVID-19.
In the WHO South-East Asia Region, the coverage for hepatitis B and C testing and treatment remains low. In 2022, only 2.8% of people with hepatitis B were diagnosed, and 3.5% of those diagnosed received treatment. Only 26% and 14% of people with hepatitis C were diagnosed and treated, respectively.
“We have safe and effective vaccines that can prevent hepatitis B infection. Antiviral drugs are highly effective in controlling and preventing disease progression, managing chronic hepatitis B, and curing most cases of hepatitis C. More needs to be done for these life-saving interventions to benefit each person, irrespective of who they are and where they live,” Ms. Wazed said.
Hepatitis B and C affect both the general population and specific groups, such as those at higher risk due to unsafe blood supplies, unsafe medical injections, and other health procedures; newborns and children at risk through mother-to-child transmission; indigenous populations; mobile and migrant populations from countries with higher prevalence; and key populations, including people who inject drugs, people in prisons, sex workers, and men who have sex with men.
As most people are unaware that they are infected with hepatitis B or C, access to testing and treatment must be expanded beyond larger hospitals or referral centers. Testing and treatment should be accessible within communities, delivered by primary health care facilities and general practitioners, close to where people live and work, and included as part of universal health coverage. Accelerated coverage of testing and treatment for hepatitis B and C will reduce the development of liver cirrhosis and cancer, and ultimately, death.
It is crucial to prioritize the needs of people living with viral hepatitis and for all stakeholders, including the private sector, to collaborate at all levels to mitigate the current health impact.
Results from several country investment case studies suggest that there is an estimated return on investment of $2–$3 for every dollar invested in the viral hepatitis response, potentially reversing increasing mortality and preventing the high costs of cancer treatment and care.
“Viral hepatitis is a major public health challenge of this decade. With a public health approach and leveraging countries’ investments in universal health coverage, elimination of viral hepatitis by 2030 is feasible,” Ms. Wazed emphasized. Taking action in 2024–2026 to expand equitable access to viral hepatitis interventions will enable countries to regain the trajectory to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals – saving lives, preventing future generations of new infections, cancers, and deaths, and reducing costs. “We have the collective responsibility to save lives today and protect the health of future generations. It’s time for action,” Ms. Wazed concluded.
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