2023-07-28 15:32:28
In Europe, efforts against hepatitis B and C need to be urgently stepped up if the goal set by the World Health Organization is to be achieved, namely eliminating the hepatitis threat by 2030. This is the warning issued by the ECDC, Center European Union for Disease Prevention and Control, on the occasion of World Hepatitis Day which is celebrated today, 28 July. “Worldwide – recalls the EU agency – hepatitis B and C together cause 1.1 million deaths and 3 million new infections each year, while in the European Union / European Economic Area there are about 6 million of people living with chronic hepatitis B and C infection”.
“Current evidence – underlines the ECDC – suggests that in the EU/EEA there has been a steady decline in the reported number of new cases of hepatitis B in all countries, thanks to vaccination” against the HBV virus. As for hepatitis C, “some countries have reported a drop in the number of new infections due to the impact of primary prevention measures. But this is not the case for some key population groups, such as people who use drugs via injecting patients, who are disproportionately affected by hepatitis C and often face barriers and gaps in services. Hurdles that need to be addressed,'” warn the experts. More generally, “the 2021 ECDC data – the center points out – suggest significant gaps in the diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis B and C. There is worrying evidence that some people are diagnosed too late, when they have already developed cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma “.
“The impact of effective prevention measures, such as vaccination against hepatitis B – comments Andrea Ammon, head of the ECDC – has led to a reduction in the transmission of diseases related to hepatitis B and C over the years. However , the burden of chronic hepatitis B and C infections in the EU/EEA remains considerable, as a large proportion of people living with the disease go undiagnosed and, consequently, do not receive the treatment they need. problems – exhorts the number one of the agency – we must urgently intensify our efforts to enhance and introduce new innovative approaches for diagnosis and treatment”.
The ECDC has developed a monitoring system that collects data useful for assessing the progress made by EU/EEA countries towards the objectives of the WHO European Action Plan. On this basis, at the end of 2022 the center published a report which shows that “some countries are far from achieving the objectives of the 2020 Plan”. Overall, the agency notes, “the data to 2022 indicate that there is still a lot of work to be done to reach the goal of eliminating viral hepatitis by 2030 and strengthen prevention and control programs”.
“To eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030 – concludes the ECDC – essential measures must be taken: countries must identify who may have been unknowingly infected, increasing testing; it is particularly important that groups most at risk of hepatitis access easily tested (e.g. males having sex with males or injecting drugs), and that people diagnosed with the infection have access to treatment; across Europe, treatment programs and prevention activities and control need to be stepped up, to break existing transmission chains and reduce associated morbidity and mortality; Countries should continue to improve their information systems, to understand the impact of hepatitis at the national level and be able to monitor progress towards the elimination goal.
#efforts #eliminate