WHY HEPATITIS?
A global challengewe can solve
Viral hepatitis - a preventable health threat
There are many challenges in the world that do not have a clear solution. Viral hepatitis is an exception. We have the tools we need to make disease elimination a reality. What’s missing is the funding and political will to mobilise action.
The global burden
One life lost every 30 seconds
Viral hepatitis is the world’s seventh leading cause of death.
This doesn’t just cost lives. It costs families their livelihoods and limits a country’s economic productivity.
Prevent. Test. Treat. Eliminate.
Science has given us everything we need to stop viral hepatitis
Health education
Viral hepatitis can be asymptomatic for years, with 64% of people with hepatitis C (HCV) and 87% with hepatitis B (HBV) unaware of their status. Awareness raising activities can link people to prevention, diagnostics, vaccines and treatment.
Prevention
Hepatitis B (HBV) is preventable with a vaccine. This includes a birth-dose vaccine that offers 95% protection and should be administered as soon as possible after birth, and within a 24-hour period. While there is no vaccine available for hepatitis C (HCV), the screening of donated blood, promotion of good healthcare, safe-sex and safe injection practices, and provision of other harm reduction services, are effective ways to stop the spread of infection.
Testing
Hepatitis C (HCV) is currently diagnosed through a two-step process, with simplified testing procedures currently in development. Hepatitis B (HBV) is detectable through laboratory confirmation testing.
Treatment
There are effective treatments to cure hepatitis C (HCV), with a 12-week course of medication now costing $60 USD (down from US$90 when it was first introduced). Chronic Hepatitis B (HBV) can be managed with oral medication for less than US$30 per year.
THE FINANCIAL CASE
Every $1 invested in disease elimination unlocks $2-3 in savings and economic growth
By 2035, every $1
Spent on HBV elimination will earn back:
By 2040, every $1
Spent on HCV elimination will earn back:
Source: Center for Disease Analysis data and analysis, Dalberg analysis
40% of countries lack the budget to put their elimination plan in action
Now is the time to act
Despite being both preventable and treatable, progress towards disease elimination and the UN Sustainable Development Goal targets is off-track.
You can help change this.
A catalyst for action
By investing in projects with high potential health impact, the Hepatitis Fund enables partners to demonstrate the case for change and accelerate progress towards disease elimination.
