July 25, 2018

Testing, Treatment, Prevention Promoted on World Hepatitis Day

World Hepatitis Day is July 28

Contact:
Christopher Tittel, Public Information Officer
Christopher.Tittel@FLHealth.gov
(850) 606-8190 / (305) 924-6839

Tallahassee – With World Hepatitis Day drawing near, the Florida Department of Health in Leon County is raising public awareness of the importance of being tested, seeking treatment and preventing the spread of the disease.

World Hepatitis Day is marked annually on July 28.

The World Health Organization’s theme this year is: “Test. Treat. Hepatitis.”

“Hepatitis comes in different types,” DOH-Leon Health Officer Claudia Blackburn said. “Our goal is to identify and treat people who test positive for any type of hepatitis as a means of protecting their own health and the health of the community.”

Hepatitis is a disease that affects the liver. It can have both short- and long-term consequences for one’s health.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are five known types of hepatitis:

Hepatitis A is a vaccine-preventable disease that can pass between people through ingestion of fecal matter infected with the virus, especially eating or drinking contaminated food or water. Hepatitis A can also be passed through oral-anal sexual contact with an infected person. Symptoms can include fatigue, lack of appetite, stomach pain, nausea and jaundice.

Hepatitis B is a vaccine-preventable disease that can pass between people when blood, semen or another body fluid from an infected person enters the body of someone who is uninfected. The virus can be transmitted through sexual contact, sharing drug-injection equipment (needles, syringes, etc.) or from mother to baby at birth. Chronic hepatitis B can lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer and other serious health issues.

Hepatitis C is a bloodborne virus for which there is no vaccine. The virus can result in long-term health problems and even death. Most people infected with hepatitis C may not know they have the virus because they are not showing signs of being ill. The best way to prevent hepatitis C is to avoid behaviors that can spread the disease, such as sharing drug-injection equipment.

Hepatitis D, which is rare in the United States, can be prevented with the hepatitis B vaccine.

Hepatitis E, which is also rare in the United States, has no vaccine.

The WHO estimates that approximately 325 million people worldwide were infected with the hepatitis B or hepatitis C viruses in 2015 alone. The organization wants to reduce incidence of viral hepatitis worldwide by 90 percent and deaths from hepatitis B and hepatitis C worldwide by 65 percent before 2030.

To learn more about hepatitis, visit https://www.floridahealth.gov/diseases-and-conditions/hepatitis/index.html .

Information is also available at https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/index.htm and http://www.worldhepatitisday.org/ .