India is among the top 10 countries of the world that represent nearly two-thirds of the burden of hepatitis B and C combined, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) 2024 Global Hepatitis Report released on Tuesday.
The 10 countries are China, India,
Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Philippines and
the Russian Federation.
Of these three countries -- China,
India, and Indonesia -- represented 50 per cent of the global burden in 2022
for hepatitis B. These were followed by Nigeria, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Vietnam,
Philippines and Pakistan.
The data from 187 countries released
at the World Hepatitis Summit, showed that six countries -- China, India,
Indonesia, Pakistan, the Russian Federation, and the US -- represented 50 per
cent of the global burden for hepatitis C. These were followed by Ukraine,
Uzbekistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Ethiopia, Mexico, Brazil, and Malaysia.
“Progress in these countries is
critical to the global response,” the report said.
Further, the report noted that viral
hepatitis infections are rising globally and claim about 3,500 lives each day,
translating to about 1.3 million deaths per year. It is the second leading
cause of death worldwide after tuberculosis.
From 1.1 million in 2019, the
estimated number of deaths from viral hepatitis rose to 1.3 million in 2022. Of
these, hepatitis B accounted for 83 per cent of deaths, while hepatitis C was
responsible for 17 per cent of deaths.
“This report paints a troubling
picture: despite progress globally in preventing hepatitis infections, deaths
are rising because far too few people with hepatitis are being diagnosed and
treated,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in a
statement.
“WHO is committed to supporting
countries to use all the tools at their disposal - at access prices - to save
lives and turn this trend around,” he added.
The report noted that despite the
availability of affordable generic viral hepatitis medicines, many countries
fail to procure them at these lower prices.
It also recommended expanding access
to testing and diagnostics, strengthening primary care prevention efforts, and
using improved data for action.
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