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World Hepatitis Day July 28, 2014 - Hepatitis: ‘Think again!’ |26 July 2014

Seychelles will next week join the world in commemorating Hepatitis Day.

Every year on July 28, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and partners mark World Hepatitis Day to increase the awareness and understanding of viral hepatitis and the diseases that it causes.

Viral hepatitis – a group of infectious diseases, typed as hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E – affects millions of people worldwide, causing acute and chronic liver disease and killing close to 1.4 million people every year.

Hepatitis remains largely ignored or unknown. Hepatitis A, B and C are the most common. Hepatitis A is transmitted through contaminated water or food.
Hepatitis B and C are spread by contact with an infected person's blood, semen, or other body fluid. You can get hepatitis B and C by having unprotected sex with an infected person; sharing drug needles (for illegal drugs like heroin and cocaine or legal drugs like vitamins and steroids); getting a tattoo or body piercing with dirty (unsterile) needles and tools that were used on someone else; getting pricked with a needle that has infected blood on it; sharing a toothbrush, razor, or other personal items with an infected person.

Viral hepatitis infections do not respect national boundaries and remain an important challenge to international health. Both hepatitis B and C affect mainly economically active adults and young people. The most affected age groups are people aged between 15 and 49 years. Men are twice as likely to be infected as women.

In May 2014, the World Health Assembly adopted a resolution to improve prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of viral hepatitis. On World Hepatitis Day this year, WHO and partners are urging policy-makers, health workers and the public to ‘Think again’ about this silent killer.
The two key messages adopted for Seychelles for 2014 are

1.    Viral hepatitis can be beaten. PLAY YOUR PART
 
2.     Viral hepatitis can be avoided. KNOW THE RISKS

The main causes of hepatitis (mainly hepatitis C) in Seychelles is through contaminated injecting instruments by illicit drug users. This remains the main focus of the Ministry of Health and key partners.  

As of June 2014 the cumulative number of hepatitis C cases stands at 440 of which 36 persons are also co infected with HIV. Since the beginning of the year till end of June, 46 new cases have been reported. (DSRU, Ministry of Health, July 2014).

Currently the Ministry of Health has an effective vaccination programme against hepatitis B which started in 1995. The prevalence of hepatitis B in the general population remains low.

All blood and blood products in Seychelles are screened for hepatitis B and C.

Viral hepatitis can be avoided. Know the risks
It has been shown that 99% of hepatitis C infected persons in Seychelles also have a history of intravenous drug use.

The ministry and other concerned parties are already providing care and support services to those infected. However we must help to make the environment more conducive for preventive interventions to take place.

To commemorate this day different activities to educate the general public has been planned. The accompanying table contains details of activities that have been scheduled. These include screening, talks and education awareness sessions, among others.

 

 

 

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