World Hepatitis Day 2024 is annually observed on July 28. This day was identified to provide advocacy and education about hepatitis, in particular hepatitis B and C. The theme this year is "It's Time for Action". 

An estimated 304 million people worldwide live with hepatitis B or C. For most, testing and treatment remain beyond reach. Viral hepatitis is the second leading infectious cause of death globally, with 1.3 million deaths per year—the same as tuberculosis. Of these, 83% are caused by hepatitis B and 17% by hepatitis C. In Canada it is estimated that 1/100 Canadians have hepatitis C and 13.1 per 100,000 individuals in Canada have hepatitis B.

In the WHO European Region, an estimated 10.6 million people are living with hepatitis B and 8.6 million with hepatitis C. These types of hepatitis account for an estimated 53 000 deaths.

While guidance and tools exist to diagnose, treat and prevent chronic viral hepatitis, services are often out of reach for communities and are sometimes only available at centralized or specialized hospitals.

The new WHO guidelines on hepatitis B prioritize simplified treatment criteria for adults and adolescents, and expanded eligibility for antiviral prophylaxis for pregnant women to prevent mother-to-child transmission of the hepatitis B virus.

The guidelines also focus on enhancing diagnostics through point-of-care viral load testing, addressing diagnosis of hepatitis D coinfection using testing protocols, and delivering high-quality services.

Contact the UPEI Health and Wellness Centre (healthcentre@upei.ca; 902.566.0616) to request a test today!