(28 July is observed as the World Hepatitis Day. Globally 1.4 million people die each year from hepatitis and this day serves as a reminder to governments and policy makers to know the disease and take action.)
This shocking and staggeringly high statistic comes from the World Health Organisation. The disease is three times more infectious than HIV and yet awareness about it is so low that by the time hepatitis is detected,
liver damage becomes cirrhosis or cancer and impossible to treat.
One lakh Indians lose the battle against a very curable disease every year. Unlike tuberculosis and HIV, the government has still not formed a national policy to eradicate the disease which infects 40 to 60 million Indians currently.
Often known as the ‘silent disease’, sometimes the symptoms don’t appear for decades. This World Hepatitis Day, know the risk factors, learn the symptoms and seek immediate help if you think you could be infected.
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