World Hepatitis Alliance Welcomes New Global Framework Aimed at Saving the Lives of Millions Living With Hepatitis

GENEVA, July 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ –

Alliance calls on governments to support the WHO strategy by setting

regional targets to eradicate this killer disease

The World Hepatitis Alliance have today welcomed the launch of the World Health
Organization (WHO) framework for hepatitis as the global patient community marks World
Hepatitis Day. ‘Prevention and Control of Viral Hepatitis Infection: Framework for Global
Action’[1], provides a global vision for the prevention and control of viral hepatitis and
outlines four axes for action for regions and countries to develop effective strategies
and plans according to their specific hepatitis burden and challenges.

“Hepatitis is closer than you think, with approximately 1 in 12 people living with
either hepatitis B or C globally,” said Charles Gore, President of the Alliance. “The
launch of the WHO Framework is an essential step in the fight against this global
epidemic.”

The launch of the Framework comes two years after the agreement of a historic World
Health Assembly (WHA) resolution on viral hepatitis (WHA63.18) which for the first time
described what is expected of governments to deliver improvements in awareness,
surveillance, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of viral hepatitis. In line with this
resolution, the WHO Secretariat established a Global Hepatitis Programme within its
Department of Pandemic and Epidemic Diseases, with focal points in the six Regional
Offices, to implement the resolution and attain the goals outlined in the new Framework.

Continues Mr. Gore: “With the WHA resolution, and now the WHO Framework for Action, we
are gaining momentum in the fight against hepatitis but more must be done to raise
awareness of this killer disease. The challenge for governments now is to action this new
Framework. It is critical that specific targets are set at a regional level to ensure
measurable results.”

World Hepatitis Day provides an opportunity for communities all around the world to
join together to raise awareness of hepatitis and importantly promote actions to confront
it. To mark World Hepatitis Day 2012 the Alliance has launched a global effort to attempt
a Guinness World Record highlighting the huge under-diagnosis of hepatitis. The aim is to
have the most people performing the “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” actions in
24 hours at multiple venues around the world. Countries currently participating in the
record attempt include: Germany, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Bangladesh,
Nigeria, Malaysia, India, Romania, China, Ukraine, Canada and Japan. There is also a See
No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil twitter campaign (#seehearspeakno) which encourages
people to tweet a picture of themselves performing one of the three gestures (or a group
of three people performing all three), with the photo being added to a growing online
photography album.

Approximately 500 million people are living with either hepatitis B or hepatitis C
worldwide. If left untreated and unmanaged, hepatitis B or C can lead to advanced liver
scarring (cirrhosis) and other complications, including liver cancer or liver failure.
Together, hepatitis B and C kill approximately one million people every year.

World Hepatitis Alliance

The World Hepatitis Alliance provides global leadership and supports action that will
halt the death toll and improve the lives of people living with chronic viral hepatitis B
and C. Through better awareness, prevention, care, support and access to treatment, our
ultimate goal is to work with governments to eradicate these diseases from the planet.

The World Hepatitis Alliance is a Non-Governmental Organisation with over 140 member
patient organisations in more than 60 countries. The World Hepatitis Alliance is governed
by a board consisting entirely of hepatitis B or C patients and elected by patient groups
from the six WHO world regions: Africa, the Americas, Eastern Mediterranean, Europe,
South-East Asia and Western Pacific. For further information visit:

http://www.worldhepatitisalliance.org

World Hepatitis Alliance – Seeking a world without viral hepatitis B and C.

World Hepatitis Day

On 28 July 2012, the World Hepatitis Alliance will coordinate the fifth global World
Hepatitis Day. World Hepatitis Day is one of only four official world disease awareness
days endorsed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and its 194 member states. The aim
for 2012 is to continue to raise awareness of chronic hepatitis B and C around the globe
and to drive policy change for improvements in health outcomes for patients through the
campaign ‘This is hepatitis… it’s closer than you think’. The theme builds on the
previous year’s campaign theme ‘This is hepatitis… Know it. Confront it. Hepatitis
affects everyone, everywhere.’

References

1. World Health Organization. Prevention and Control of Viral Hepatitis Infection:
Framework for Global Action. Published July 2012. Available at:

http://www.who.int/csr/disease/hepatitis/Framework/en/index.html

SOURCE World Hepatitis Alliance