Annually, on July 28th is recognized the World Hepatitis Day. It is celebrated on Dr. Baruch Blumberg’s birthday, who was the discoverer of the hepatitis B virus in 1967 and two years later developed the first hepatitis B vaccine.

Viral hepatitis is caused by infection of one of five viruses (hepatitis A, B, C, D or E), and it is a major global health threat with around 240 million people living with chronic hepatitis B and up to 150 million people living with chronic hepatitis C.

The good news is hepatitis A and hepatitis B can be prevented with a safe effective vaccine but, there is currently no vaccine to prevent hepatitis C, however, research is ongoing.

Hepatitis C affects around 170 million people worldwide, including nearly 70,000 Belgians. Every year, this virus is the responsible of around 300 deaths in Belgium.

This year, with the arrival in Belgium of new effective treatments that can heal and end with almost the completely virus, are a great opportunity to educate and inform everyone on this public health problem where nobody is secure.

Moreover, a group composed of Belgian hepatologists worked on a mathematical model to make projections about the possibilities of eradicating the HCV in Belgium by 10 and 15 years.

 

Patricia Fernández Ruiz