MADRID – To tackle hepatitis B and C, efforts must be “urgently intensified” to intensify and introduce new innovative diagnostics and treatments », says the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
Andrea Ammon, director of the ECDC, emphasized that “over the years, the impact of effective preventive measures such as hepatitis B vaccination has reduced the transmission of hepatitis B and hepatitis C-related diseases.”
However, it shows that “the burden of chronic hepatitis B and C infection in the EU/EEA remains considerable, as a large proportion of people with the disease remain undiagnosed.”
Worldwide, hepatitis B and C are responsible for 1.1 million deaths and 3 million new infections each year, of whom approximately 6 million have chronic hepatitis B and C infection.
Current data show a steady decline in the number of new hepatitis B transmissions in all countries in the EU/EEA.
For hepatitis C, some countries also reported a reduction in the number of new transmissions as a result of primary prevention measures. However, this is not the case for some key populations, such as injecting drug users, who are disproportionately affected by hepatitis C.
Measures to eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030
ECDC proposed a series of measures to eliminate viral hepatitis in the next few years. Among other things, he argues that countries should use more testing to identify people who may be unknowingly infected with viral hepatitis.
In this regard, he noted that it is particularly important that people at higher risk of contracting hepatitis have easy access to testing, such as men who have sex with men or people who inject drugs.
world situation
WHO has developed a global health sector strategy on HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections for the period 2022-2030, with the goal of eliminating AIDS, viral hepatitis B and C and sexually transmitted infections by 2030.
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