World hepatitis day: time for collective action to win fight against fatal disease
PESHAWAR (APP): Muhammad Hamayun, a struggling farmer from Mohib Banda village in Nowshera district, has succumbed to hepatitis after a brief but harrowing battle in a local hospital.
At 52 years old, Hamayun, who balanced his duties as a Federal Government employee with farming, was unaware of the severity of his liver condition until it was too late.
For the past year, Hamayun experienced persistent abdominal pain that escalated significantly, prompting his family to seek medical help. “My father had been complaining of abdominal pain for the last year, which worsened over time. He was eventually rushed to a local hospital, where doctors diagnosed him with liver inflammation caused by hepatitis C,” Kamal Khan, Hamayun’s son, recounted to APP.
With tears in his eyes, Kamal shared that his father survived only six months following the diagnosis.
“The disease stole my loving father from me. He had dreams of seeing me become a doctor, to serve ailing humanity,” Kamal said.
He emphasized the urgent need for widespread awareness about hepatitis—its causes, prevention, and treatment—as a crucial step toward eradicating this life-threatening disease.
“Hepatitis is a liver inflammation often caused by viral infections and the treatment become difficult if diagnosed in later stage,” said Dr Riaz Khan, senior medical officer at Govt hospital Pabbi Nowshera while talking to APP.
Hepatitis can also be caused by factors such unsafe injections, alcohol consumption, certain medications, and autoimmune diseases.
The primary types of viral hepatitis include hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E, each with unique modes of transmission and varying health impacts, he said.
Every year on July 28, world hepatitis day is observed as a global effort to raise awareness about various types of hepatitis, emphasising the importance of its prevention, testing, and treatment in members states of UNO including Pakistan.
The theme for this year is “It’s time for action,” highlighting the urgent need for swift and decisive measures to tackle hepatitis on global scale.
The July 28 date was selected to honor the birthday of Dr. Baruch Blumberg, the Nobel Laureate who discovered hepatitis B virus (HBV) in the 1960s and developed a diagnostic test and vaccine for it.
Initially celebrated on May 19, the date was later moved to July 28 in 2010. The first community-driven world hepatitis day was organized in 2008 by the World Hepatitis Alliance (WHA) established in 2007.
The day provided an opportunity for governments, communities, individuals, healthcare providers and policymakers to learn about negative consequences of different types of hepatitis, as well as prevention strategies, testing, and treatment options.
Fostering global advocacy and cooperation in combating the increasing number of hepatitis-related illnesses and deaths, the day emphasized the significance of enhanced vaccination, early diagnosis, and better access to healthcare services.
Dr Riaz said that day is crucial for promoting a coordinated worldwide response and working towards the WHO’s goal of eliminating viral hepatitis as a major public health threat by 2030.
In Pakistan, he said the patients are either diagnosed incidentally or get symptomatic when their illness advances after getting the hepatitis infection.
“One person died from a hepatitis-related illness in every 30 seconds at world.”
Dr Riaz referred to the World Health Organisation (WHO) 2024 report, which indicated that around 8.8 million people are suffering from hapititous mainly due to unsafe medical injections in Pakistan.
The data from 187 countries showed the estimated number of deaths from viral hepatitis increased from 1.1 million in 2019 to 1.3 million in 2022 and as of these, 83pc caused by hepatitis B and 17pc by the hepatitis C.
The report noted that 10 countries account for nearly two thirds of the global burden of viral hepatitis B and C, with Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Philippines and Russian Federation rounding off the top ten.
For hepatitis C, six countries including China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Russian Federation and US — represent 50pc of the global burden.
Dr Riaz said this data showed a matter of great concerns, and underlined the need for global fight like of polio eradication to eradicate hapitites once for all.
On the world hapitites day message, the Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Faisal Karim Kundi underlined the need to increase public awareness and joint efforts to control hepatitis.
He said the hepatitis remains a significant issue worldwide and its eradication requires raising awareness on consistent basis and taking joint measures at regional and global levels.
The rising number of patients in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is alarming, the Governor said and stressed following health safety guidelines essential for preventing such diseases imperative for a healthy and prosperous society.
