Every year, World Hepatitis Day is celebrated on July 28 to create awareness and educate people about the effect of viral hepatitis, which can cause liver inflammation leading to severe liver-related ailments and liver cancer. This day is an opportunity to step up national and international efforts on hepatitis, encourage actions and engagement by individuals, partners and the public and highlight the need for a greater global response as outlined in the WHO’s Global hepatitis report of 2017.
On World Hepatitis Day 2022, WHO is highlighting the need for bringing hepatitis care closer to the primary health facilities and communities so that people have better access to treatment and care, no matter what type of hepatitis they may have.
Theme
This year 2022, the World Hepatitis Day 2022 theme is “Bringing Hepatitis Care Closer to You”, mainly focuses on educating people and creating awareness to implement and cater hepatitis care services to primary health facilities, community-based places, and reach beyond the hospitals such as in rural areas to make hepatitis care service available to all sections of the society and ensuring everyone gets proper diagnoses and treatment.
- World Hepatitis Day 2020 theme – “Hepatitis-free Future.” In the year 2020 WHO strongly focussed on preventing hepatitis B transmission of mother-to-child
- World Hepatitis Day 2019 theme – “Invest in Eliminating Hepatitis.” WHO urged all countries and healthcare partners to go with the cause of eliminating Hepatitis
- World Hepatitis Day 2018 theme – “Test. Treat. Hepatitis.” Testing on time and treating Hepatitis B and C can save many lives.
World Hepatitis Day 2022: History
The World Health Organisation launched a campaign to make the world free of hepatitis. The World Hepatitis Alliance was founded in the year 2007 and the first community-organized World Hepatitis Day was observed in 2008. The date of 28 July was chosen because it is the birthday of Nobel-prize-winning scientist Dr Baruch Blumberg. It was in the year 1967 that Baruch Samuel Blumberg discovered the Hepatitis B virus.
