The World Hepatitis Day is being observed every year on July 28 around the globe to spread awareness about viral hepatitis.
Significance of the Day: It seeks to encourage diagnosis, prevention and treatment of Hepatitis.
Provide a single global platform to raise awareness about hepatitis and influence real change in disease prevention, testing and treatment.
2016 Theme: “Elimination”. It focuses on elimination of hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030.
About World Hepatitis Day
The day is being observed since 2010. It is one of the 8 official global public health campaigns marked by the World Health Organization (WHO).
WHO had passed a resolution for observance of this day on viral hepatitis in May 2010 had passed, providing official endorsement to it.
The date 28 July was chosen to mark the birth anniversary of Professor Baruch Blumberg who had discovered hepatitis B virus.
He was awarded with the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1976) for this discovery.
What is Hepatitis?
Hepatitis name has derived from Greek word Hepar meaning liver and ‘itis’ meaning inflammation.
Thus, it is a medical condition in which inflammation occurs in liver cells and its complications vary with the type of infection It is mostly caused by a group of viruses called hepatitis viruses.
There are 5 types of hepatitis viz. A, B, C, D and E. Each type is caused by a different hepatitis virus.
It can also be caused by intoxicants like drugs, alcohol, chemicals and other infections and autoimmune diseases.
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