HUNG YEN, 19 JULY 2019 – The World Health Organization (WHO) called for increased investment in eliminating hepatitis in Viet Nam during a public advocacy event organized by the Hung Yen Provincial Health Department in collaboration with the Viet Nam Liver and Bile Association on 19 July – the week leading to the World Hepatitis Day.
With participation from representatives of the Ministry of Health, Hung Yen local government, health sector, social affairs and mass organizations – including from youth union, women union and farmers union – national and ministerial hospitals, and the general public, the event highlighted everyone’s shared responsibility in combatting viral hepatitis.
The advocacy event also marked the launch of “All People Join Hands to Combat Hepatitis”, an initiative of the Viet Nam Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (VASLD) which aims to improve public awareness on hepatitis and increase testing and treatment demand. “The campaign started in 2012 and we would like to continue through this movement as awareness of the public on viral hepatitis is still limited and the coverage of testing and treatment for hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus in Viet Nam is still very low”, Professor Le Trung Hai, President of VASLD said.
In Viet Nam, 7.8 million are living with hepatitis B and nearly one million are living with hepatitis C. This means one in nine people in Viet Nam is infected with HBV or HCV. Hepatitis B and C cause nearly 80 000 liver cancer cases and 40 000 deaths each year. A study also found nearly 90% of patients with liver cancer were infected with HBV and/or HCV.
Hepatitis can be prevented and treated. Hepatitis B vaccine is highly effective when the first dose is given to babies within 24 hours of birth and followed up with three further doses. People living with chronic hepatitis B can be treated with highly effective medicines to stop the disease from progressing and reduce the risk of it developing into liver cancer. People with hepatitis C can now be cured within three months by taking new oral medicines called direct acting antivirals. However, many people with hepatitis do not know they are infected and thus do not seek treatment. In Viet Nam, only around 10% of people living with HBV and HCV have been diagnosed and only around 30% of those diagnosed received treatment.
“Frankly speaking, there is still a big gap to fill in to show substantive progress towards the 2030 viral hepatitis elimination target. Less than 10% of people living with viral hepatitis know their status. Less than one third of the people diagnosed with viral hepatitis have received treatment. The coverage of hepatitis B vaccination is below 75%, including birth dose”
Dr Kidong Park, WHO Representative in Viet Nam
To address this, Dr Park further called for more investment for hepatitis elimination, as he said, “Countries need to ensure that national hepatitis testing and treatment plans include dedicated funding and investments. Countries and partners need to work together to achieve the most optimal prices for hepatitis drugs and diagnostics to make access possible for more people. Investing in hepatitis is a smart decision for broader health outcomes.”