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Fighting viral hepatitis

Despite the burden it places on communities across the world, hepatitis appears to have been largely ignored as a public health concern: Hepatitis B and C are among the most common viral infections in the world.

It is estimated that about 325 million people worldwide have hepatitis B or C virus infections. Viral hepatitis caused 1.4 million deaths in 2016, a number comparable to deaths caused by tuberculosis and higher than those caused by HIV1.All from an illness that is highly treatable.

With the availability of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) that can now completely cure most hepatitis C (HCV) carriers within 3–6 months2, there’s no need for the death toll to increase as predicted.3

Equally important to treatment of course is to avoid further dissemination of the virus which is tricky as one of the greatest obstacles to preventing the spread of hepatitis is that carriers can show no symptoms for decades.4

Supporting treatment decisions

Before hepatitis can be treated, however, it must be diagnosed.

Symptoms of viral hepatitis often resemble the flu; though, many HCV and hepatitis B (HBV) carriers don’t have any symptoms until and unless liver damage becomes very serious. HCV or HBV carriers may exhibit the following symptoms

An in vitro laboratory diagnostic test is therefore crucial to confirm a diagnosis.

The results from these tests not only help doctors diagnose an infection, but also determine how advanced the disease is. Doctors are also looking to these diagnostic tests to see if the patient is responding to the treatment. In cases with no response, treatment may need to be changed or stopped.

In chronic HCV patients, diagnostic tests can also identify virus genotypes in the blood. This information is useful for doctors, enabling them to personalise patient and disease management which on the other hand leads to higher curing rates (up to 90% of patients5), fewer side effects and shorter treatment times.

Understanding viral hepatitis

Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver, most commonly caused by a virus. There are five main types of viral hepatitis, the most common being hepatitis A (HAV), B (HBV) and C (HCV). You can contract HAV by ingesting contaminated food and/or water. It is also spread through direct contact with an infected person. HBV and HCV, on the other hand, are generally spread via the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person.

In addition to causing short-term (acute) infections, HBV and HCV infections often become persistent (chronic), eventually leading to more serious and life-threatening conditions such as liver cirrhosis and cancer.

Beyond awareness

Thanks to a United Nations resolution on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development6, viral hepatitis will finally get the awareness it deserves as the WHO introduced global targets for care and management of viral hepatitis. By 2030, WHO aims to achieve:

  • A 65% reduction in liver-related deaths

  • A 90% reduction of new viral hepatitis infections

  • The diagnosis of 90% of patients with viral hepatitis.7

Although we have made progress in combatting viral hepatitis, there’s more to be done. Roche is committed to the fight against viral hepatitis, and continues to look for new and innovative ways to prevent, test and treat viral hepatitis.

Watch this video to hear about the everyday life of Adeline who was born with hepatitis

[00:00:04]
[Music] I was born with. It this was in 1995 and no vaccine was available in my country. I'm okay with it you know, but it's still a stigma, something very bad. My name is Adaline and 23 years old I like blue. I have hepatitis B. I learned that I had the disease when I was 15 years, old people automatically think that sex and drugs are the reason that's why I didn't tell anybody for a long time. I think that a lot more people carry the virus they just don't get tested because of stigma and the lack of knowledge. It's perfectly normal to live with this illness I can't give it to you just by touching you. [Music] I didn't want to think that I was sick anymore so I stopped the treatment, because then I didn't have to talk about it anymore, I didn't have to go to the doctor every month, I didn't have to get anymore injections I pretended that everything was okay. Well at least until I started to feel sick again: I suddenly realized it's a big deal if you don't treat this you'll die from cirrhosis or cancer.

[00:01:48]
Luckily I'm in love with a man who understands my situation and lifts me up, so I went back on the treatment. I have 12 tattoos, I love them but again it's a stigma: people say of course that is how you got your hepatitis and I tell them no I was born with it. [Music] My doctor is great, she knows that my tattoos have nothing to do with how I got hepatitis, but lots of other people even other doctors just assumed that's what happened. I see my doctor every

[00:02:38]
three to six months to have my viral load tested so I can live my life normally. Hang out with my friends, eat live have fun. You can't drink alcohol that's fine for me because everything else I can do. You are not alone it's not the end of the world to have hepatitis you can live with it but you have to know you

References

  1. World Health Organization, Progress report on HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections, 2019 [Internet: cited 2020 June 19]. Available from:

  2. World Health Organization, Hepatitis [Internet: cited 2020 June 19]. Available from:

  3. World Health Organization, Global Hepatitis Report 2017 [Internet: cited 2020 June 19]. Available from:

  4. World Health Organization, Global Health Sector Strategy on Viral Hepatitis 2016−2021 [Internet: cited 2020 June 19]. Available from:

  5. World Health Organization, Global Health Sector Strategy on Viral Hepatitis 2016−2021 [Internet: cited 2020 June 19]. Available from:

  6. United Nations General Assembly Resolution, Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development [Internet: cited 2020 June 19] Available from:

  7. World Health Organization, Global Health Sector Strategy on Viral Hepatitis 2016-2021 [Internet: cited 2020 June 19]. Available from: