The significance of acknowledging "World Hepatitis Day"
World Hepatitis Day is observed on the 28th of July, the birthday of Dr. Baruch Blumberg. The hepatitis virus was first discovered by Dr. Baruch Blumberg in 1967, and two years later he developed a vaccine for the same.
World 'hepatitis' day is celebrated to raise awareness of the disease. Viral hepatitis is a group of infectious diseases involving hepatitis A, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, hepatitis D, and hepatitis E, which lead to acute and chronic liver diseases. Viral hepatitis is the reason for nearly one million deaths every year.
Most of the time, hepatitis is left undiagnosed or hard to detect because the symptoms can be mild or mimic other diseases. Long-term infection of hepatitis virus is also called chronic hepatitis, which is a silent infection for many years until the virus causes enough damage to the liver to show the signs and symptoms of liver infection.
Presently, some types of viral hepatitis can be cured with treatments that last for up to two to six months. However, about half of the people don’t realize they are infected, mostly because they don’t have any symptoms, which may take years to appear.
There are various campaigns organized by numerous organizations globally that raise awareness of hepatitis. In the United States, the month of May is designated as Hepatitis Awareness Month. There are educational campaigns that aim to get people tested for the disease. Thanks to advanced medications and preventive measures, the control of hepatitis is an accomplishable goal.