Health Days 2012

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World Hepatitis Day

On 28 July 2012, people around the world will come together to mark the World Hepatitis Day and raise awareness and understanding of viral hepatitis and the diseases that it causes. It provides an opportunity to focus on specific actions such as:

strengthening prevention, screening and control of viral hepatitis and its related diseases;
increasing hepatitis B vaccine coverage and integration into national immunization programs; and
coordinating a global response to hepatitis.

Hepatitis viruses A, B, C, D and E can cause acute and chronic infection and inflammation of the liver leading to cirrhosis and liver cancer. These viruses constitute a major global health risk with around 350 million people being chronically infected with hepatitis B and around 170 million people being chronically infected with hepatitis C.

This year's World Hepatitis Day is organized under the theme: “It's closer than you think”, according to the World Hepatitis Alliance, which t represents approximately 280 hepatitis B and hepatitis C

patient groups around the world. This theme highlights the imminent danger posed by hepatitis, given the fact proven by studies that one per twelve persons suffer from hepatitis B and C. Statistics show, also, that about 500 million persons around the world suffer from hepatitis B and C.

Incidence of Hepatitis A, B, C, D and E in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2011: