What to know
Summary
CDC recognizes world hepatitis day
CDC recognizes World Hepatitis Day on July 28 to raise awareness about viral hepatitis and champion ongoing efforts to combat viral hepatitis across the globe. Learn more about how CDC is working to prevent and control viral hepatitis overseas.
Building a strong evidence base to better understand how to fight viral hepatitis
Public health starts with dependable data. CDC builds the capacity of partner nations to generate real-world evidence that informs National Strategic Plans and tailored strategies to address each country's unique viral hepatitis burden.
- CDC-guided surveys and serosurveys led to the first national estimates of the burden and awareness of hepatitis B, hepatitis C and hepatitis D in Georgia, the Kyrgyz Republic, Uzbekistan, Malawi, and Botswana.
- CDC also generated national prevalence estimates of hepatitis B in seven Sub-Saharan African countries using secondary data analysis.
- CDC is supporting Uzbekistan to identify risk factors for acute hepatitis B and hepatitis C in order to prevent future infections.
- Lab staff from CDC's Division of Viral Hepatitis strengthened technical capacity in viral hepatitis serology and molecular diagnostics of over 200 local laboratory staff in the Kyrgyz Republic, Uzbekistan, and Botswana.
Scaling up prevention, screening, and treatment
Public health protects by preventing infections at their source. CDC recognizes the global nature of viral hepatitis—a substantial proportion of hepatitis B cases in the United States occur among people born outside the country—and collaborates with other countries to improve infection control and blood safety, and expanded access to vaccination, testing and treatment where the burden is highest.
- CDC is supporting activities to prevent mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B in the Philippines and decentralizing hepatitis B screening and treatment to primary health care.
- CDC supported efforts in Uzbekistan to promote viral hepatitis elimination efforts in high-risk settings, such as hemodialysis centers and hematology clinics, to prevent hepatitis B and hepatitis C transmission in those settings.
- CDC supported capacity building of over 500 healthcare professionals in the management of viral hepatitis in Uzbekistan and the Kyrgyz Republic scaling up screening and treatment for hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and hepatitis D.
Supporting innovation abroad to drive elimination at home
Public health is forward-thinking. CDC helps to implement novel technology and strategies in global programs, yielding lessons that drives elimination abroad and here in the United States.
- Global efforts generated evidence supporting the usefulness of the point-of-care hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA testing in scaling up screening and treatment for hepatitis C.
- Evaluations of use of HCV self-testing has shown strong usability and acceptance in Georgia and other countries providing lessons for potential use to identify undiagnosed persons with hepatitis C who do not access usual healthcare services.
- Lessons learned from global strategies to decrease loss to follow-up among persons with hepatitis C may yield important lessons to guide American public health.
Putting a hepatitis-free world within reach
Public health takes teamwork. World Hepatitis Day reminds us of the breadth of settings and populations affected by viral hepatitis. By working together, we can eliminate the barriers to accessing potentially life-saving testing and treatment and achieve a hepatitis-free world.
Carolyn Wester, MD, MPH
Director
Division of Viral Hepatitis
National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Rania Tohme, MD, MPH
Associate Director for Global Health
Division of Viral Hepatitis
National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services