On the Occasion of World Hepatitis Day, EASL Calls on the United Nations to Join the Effort to Tackle Viral Hepatitis

On the Occasion of World Hepatitis Day, EASL Calls on the United Nations to Join the Effort to Tackle Viral Hepatitis PR Newswire GENEVA, July 27, 2012 GENEVA, July 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Marking World Hepatitis Day, the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) calls on the different organizations which make up the United Nations systems to take action to fight against Viral Hepatitis (Hepatitis B and C), a potentially fatal infection of the liver which affects 500 million people. Viral hepatitis is the cause of death of over one million people a year and, around the world, one in every 3 people has been exposed to either the Hepatitis B virus or the Hepatitis C virus. Even more worrying, those infected [1]do not know this and for them the first indication of infection can be the development of liver cancer or liver failure. EASL acknowledges the progress made in recent years, including the establishment of WHO's Global Hepatitis Programme and welcomes the recent publication of the WHO strategy to prevent and control viral hepatitis [2]infection . However, Professor Mark Thursz, EASL Secretary General, noted that "viral hepatitis needs to be recognised as a serious threat in its own right and measures need to be taken to prevent those not yet infected from becoming infected and to ensure treatment is made available for those who are infected.