Attachments
- Introduction
1.1. Worldwide distribution and burden due Viral hepatitis
Hepatitis is defined as “a disease characterized by inflammation of liver”. This might be due to infection or other physiological changes in the body as a result of non-communicable diseases. But the burden due to viral infections is gigantic and generally accounts for the term “hepatitis”. Hepatitis is most commonly caused by viral infection. There are five known hepatitis viruses, referred to as types A, B, C, D and E. These five types are of greatest concern because of the burden of illness and death they cause and the potential for outbreaks and epidemic spread.
In particular; types B, C and D are spread via blood and body fluids and seen more often in recipients of blood, tissue and organs along with persons working or receiving care in health settings. These types of viral hepatitis lead to chronic disease in hundreds of millions of people and, together, are the most common cause of liver cirrhosis and cancer.
Hepatitis A and E are generally water and food born (Fecal-oral) viral infections and they are common in communities where food and sanitation services are not optimal. Hepatitis A alone causes a commendable complications and mortality.
It is estimated that approximately 4.3 million people are infected with HBV and 800 000 people are infected with HCV annually. The HCV prevalence is estimated to be 1-4.6%, with levels higher than 20% in Egypt and Pakistan. Overall, an estimated 17 million people in the EMRO region suffer from chronic HCV infection. The risk of infection with HBV is high in five countries (Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Sudan and Somalia), accounting for more than 55% of the total population of the region, and moderate in the remaining 17 countries. The prevalence of HEV infection is high in Sudan, South Sudan, Pakistan and Somalia. However, the burden is unknown. Largely Viral hepatitis cause acute or chronic infections and liver cell damage give rise to a major global public health problem due to its costly management, complications and case fatality.