When is World Hepatitis Day celebrated? World Hepatitis Day

How does infection occur? different types hepatitis and what measures will help to avoid the disease

July 28 is a day that the World Health Organization dedicated to people who are sick in different forms viral hepatitis. If your liver is healthy, it may be difficult for you to imagine the extent of this problem. Meanwhile, in one form or another infectious lesion Every 12th inhabitant of the Earth suffers from the liver! And given the fact that treating hepatitis is expensive and difficult, and liver transplantation still falls into the category of dangerous and time-consuming operations, we all have good reason to be aware of the situation and decide on our attitude towards it.

Hepatitis alphabet

Let's start with the fact that there are many types of viral hepatitis. The most studied of them are A, B and C and E.

Hepatitis A and E are considered relatively “not scary”: they become infected through food and water, they (especially hepatitis A) occur quite easily, and full recovery occurs within several months, sometimes even without treatment.

The problem with hepatitis B and C is much more serious. These two diseases account for the vast majority of all hepatitis cases, with more than 500 million people infected. This is more than the number of HIV-positive people and all patients oncological diseases combined!

Despite the fact that infection with hepatitis B and C often occurs without guilt on the part of the patient, it is not accepted to openly talk about such a diagnosis in our country - just as in the case of HIV infection or venereal diseases. This leads us to underestimate the seriousness of the problem and not take action. necessary measures to avoid transmission of infection.

How many of you are vaccinated against hepatitis B? It is important to know that vaccination does not have a lifelong effect, so the procedure should be repeated every 5-10 years. How often do you get tested to check for these infections? So, in the case of hepatitis C, no clinical manifestations the disease may not be observed for many years after infection (which is why it received the informal name " gentle killer"). As a result, a person continues to spread the infection, not realizing the danger to which he exposes his loved ones.

Gloomy economy

Why are viral hepatitis B and C so dangerous? The disease destroys hepatocytes - liver cells, which leads to cirrhosis (when the tissue of the organ is replaced by scar tissue, and it ceases to cope with its function), and sometimes cancer. Thus, every fourth case of the most common malignant disease liver, hepatocellular carcinoma, associated with hepatitis C.

Curing hepatitis in Russia is not an easy task. In our country there is no unified strategy for treating this disease, and the likelihood of receiving expensive antiviral drugs at the expense of the state depends on the budget of the region where the patient lives.

In addition, such drugs may primarily go to “severe” patients in whom hepatitis has already caused serious violations in liver function. Experts public organizations, specializing in helping patients with hepatitis, note that only 1.5% of them receive therapy under government programs.

Of course, you can buy medications at your own expense, but a monthly course of treatment will cost tens, and in some cases, hundreds of thousands of rubles. The duration of therapy is also individual. On average, as those who know the situation first-hand gloomily joke, in order to cure hepatitis you need to sell an apartment in a provincial town. But who has it, such an extra apartment?.. And taking into account the fact that about 4% of residents in Russia are infected, it’s hard to believe that global strategy WHO, according to which this disease should be completely eradicated from the planet by 2030, is destined to come true.

The most deplorable situation is with hepatitis C: before 1996 donor blood Transfusion sites did not test for this infection. As a result, the virus reached most people with hereditary diseases blood, as well as to those who 20 years ago or earlier received serious injuries requiring blood transfusion. Now many of them are suffering from chronic hepatitis and related complications.

What should you do to avoid hepatitis? Here are some important tips:

1. If you are not sure that you are not infected, get tested for antibodies to hepatitis B and C. This can be done free of charge when donating blood at a transfusion station.
2. If you don't have a hepatitis B vaccine or don't remember the last time you had one, get vaccinated. Unfortunately, there is no vaccine against hepatitis C yet.
3. Do not refuse to vaccinate your children: the first vaccination against hepatitis B is given to newborns in the maternity hospital.
4. The main route of transmission of hepatitis B and C is through blood. Therefore, avoid getting tattoos (including tattooing of eyebrows, eyelids, lips), manicures, piercings and others. cosmetic procedures at home and in dubious salons.
5. Be sure to use condoms if you have sex with a partner whose health you are not sure about.
6. There are schemes emergency prevention hepatitis, which will prevent infection in the first hours after contact with someone else’s blood or unprotected sex. If you find yourself in such a situation, do not rely on chance and go to the hospital immediately!

Remember: the common belief that the liver is an organ that can easily recover from any damage is incorrect. Irresponsibility and illiteracy regarding health are very expensive in our time, so protect yourself and your family from hepatitis!

@ Olga Kashubina

Viral hepatitis is dangerous disease liver, preventing it in many cases is easier than curing it. Therefore, the primary preventive measures include knowledge of what hepatitis is and how to behave in order to avoid this disease.

Every year on July 28, many countries celebrate World Hepatitis Day. The date for its establishment was the birthday American doctor Baruch Samuel Bloomberg, laureate Nobel Prize, who discovered the hepatitis B virus. The first such Day was held in 2008 at the initiative of the International Hepatitis Alliance. In 2011, the World Health Organization (WHO) added this date to its calendar, making World Hepatitis Day official.

On this day, WHO recommends that doctors different countries around the world to conduct educational campaigns, telling people about viral hepatitis and the diseases it leads to. Preventive measures are no less important: diagnostics, vaccination against hepatitis, etc. Hepatitis viruses are considered one of the main risk factors for human health.

Why is World Hepatitis Day important?

Viral hepatitis is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Every year it claims the lives of 1.34 million people - the same number of people die from HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis or malaria. Together, hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C cause 80% of liver cancer cases worldwide.

Viral hepatitis is not localized in one place, and is not found only in a certain category of people. This is truly a global epidemic, affecting millions of people without them even knowing it. Lack of awareness and limited access to hepatitis treatment services globally means that most people who need treatment do not receive it. Currently, 90% of people with hepatitis B and 80% of people with hepatitis C are unaware of their disease. There is a real possibility that they will develop fatal liver disease at some time in their lives and, in some cases, unknowingly infect others.

More than 90% of people with hepatitis C can be completely cured of the virus within 3-6 months.

With proper treatment of hepatitis B and C, major complications can be prevented chronic illness life-threatening liver diseases such as cirrhosis and liver cancer. With the availability of effective vaccines and treatments for hepatitis B and hepatitis C, it is possible to eliminate viral hepatitis, but greater awareness and understanding of the disease and its risks, as well as access to less expensive methods diagnosis and treatment.

By the way, the Day also has its own symbol - “Three Wise Monkeys” - and the corresponding motto - “I see nothing, I hear nothing, I won’t say anything”, as an indicator of attitude modern society to the problem of hepatitis - that is, ignoring it. Therefore, carrying out world day the fight against hepatitis is aimed, first of all, at attracting the attention of the general public and specialists to this problem, increasing the interest of citizens of each country in carrying out preventive measures. The application of hygienic knowledge in practice by every person, recognition of the importance of immunoprophylaxis of hepatitis A and B, as well as participation in vaccination campaigns will help preserve the health of the population not only of each individual country, but also of the population of the planet as a whole.

What is hepatitis?

Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver. This condition can be self-limiting or lead to the development of fibrosis (scarring), cirrhosis, or liver cancer. The most common causes of hepatitis in the world are hepatitis viruses, but it can also be caused by other infections, toxic substances (such as alcohol and some drugs), and autoimmune diseases.

There are 5 main hepatitis viruses, called types A, B, C, D and E. These 5 types pose a huge challenge due to the burden of disease and death they cause and their potential to cause outbreaks and epidemic spread . Types B and C in particular cause chronic disease in hundreds of millions of people and are collectively the most common causes of cirrhosis and liver cancer.

Hepatitis A and E are usually caused by eating contaminated food products or water. Hepatitis B, C, and D usually develop as a result of parenteral contact with infected body fluids. Common modes of transmission of these viruses include transfusion of contaminated blood or blood products, invasive medical procedures using contaminated equipment, and, for hepatitis B, transmission from mother to child during childbirth, from family member to child, and through sexual contact.

Acute infection may occur with limited symptoms or asymptomatic or may include symptoms such as jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), dark urine, extreme fatigue, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.

What are the different hepatitis viruses?

Scientists have identified 5 separate hepatitis viruses, identified by the letters A, B, C, D and E. All of them lead to the development of liver disease, but there are significant differences between them.

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) present in the feces of infected people and is most often transmitted by consuming contaminated food or water. HAV can also be spread by some types of sexual relations. In many cases, infections occur in mild form, most people recover completely and remain immune to subsequent HAV infections. However, HAV infections can be severe and life-threatening. Most people in areas of the world with poor sanitation are infected with this virus. There are safe and effective vaccines to prevent HAV.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) transmitted through contact with infected blood, semen and other body fluids. HBV can be passed from an infected mother to her child during childbirth or from a family member to the child early age. Transmission of infection can also occur through transfusion of HBV-contaminated blood and blood products, injections from contaminated equipment during medical procedures and injecting drug use. HBV also poses a risk to health care workers who suffer needlestick injuries while caring for patients infected with HBV. There is a safe and effective vaccine to prevent HBV.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV), mainly also transmitted through contact with infected blood. This can occur through transfusions of blood and blood products contaminated with HCV, injections from contaminated equipment during medical procedures, and injection drug use. Sexual transmission of infection is also possible, but this occurs much less frequently. There is no vaccine against HCV.

Hepatitis D virus (HDV) can only infect people who are infected with HBV. Dual infection with HDV and HBV may lead to more severe disease and worse result. Safe and effective hepatitis B vaccines provide protection against HDV infection.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV), like HAV, is transmitted in most cases by consuming contaminated food or water. HEV often leads to outbreaks of hepatitis in developing parts of the world and is increasingly recognized as a significant cause of disease in developing countries. Safe and effective vaccines have been developed to prevent HEV infection, but they are not widely available.

Statistics

According to WHO, at the end of 2015, approximately 325 million people were living with chronic hepatitis: 257 million people with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and 71 million with hepatitis C virus (HCV). In 2015, viral hepatitis caused 1.34 million deaths.

In the current year 2018 celebrates its 10th anniversary. Only four diseases - hepatitis, tuberculosis, AIDS and malaria - are included in the WHO calendar own dates, designed to attract the attention of the world community to the problems of combating them. This speaks volumes about the scale of the threat these diseases pose. AND viral hepatitis– I didn’t get into this top four by accident. After all, mortality rates from it are higher than for oncology and AIDS.

How did World Hepatitis Day come about and why is it needed?

Initially, thanks to the activity of the International Hepatitis Alliance, it was celebrated on May 19th. In 2011, it was officially recognized by WHO and moved to July 28, the birthday of scientist B. S. Blumberg. The activities of this American doctor were associated with the discovery of the causative agent of hepatitis B. He also invented treatment methods and vaccination against this disease.

On Hepatitis Day, educational events are held in different parts of the world. Their goal is to tell people about especially dangerous and widespread types of hepatitis virus - A, B and C; about ways of prevention, diagnosis and the need timely treatment viral infection liver.

WHO statistics on this disease looks scary. WITH viral hepatitis every third person encountered. Some of them got sick and worked out a certain type hepatitis, and someone remained a virus carrier, infecting more and more people. For every dozen people, one is infected with the most destructive form of viral hepatitis for the liver - B or C. This terrible disease kills about one and a half million patients every year. And its chronic form, if left untreated, leads to cancer or cirrhosis.

Unfortunately, often the symptoms of hepatitis are blurred or do not appear at all, which leads to a deterioration in the health of the patient himself and the involvement of more and more people in the circle of infection.

Viral hepatitis: routes of transmission and prevention measures

In World Hepatitis Day Particular emphasis is placed on informing people about the methods of transmission of the disease and ways to prevent it.

Hepatitis A, also known as Botkin's disease(named after the Russian doctor S.P. Botkin who discovered it and described it), is a disease dirty hands and is easily transmitted by the fecal-oral route in everyday communication, through unwashed vegetables, fruits, etc. Personal hygiene and compliance sanitary standards, as well as vaccinations are the main measures for its prevention.

Hepatitis B and C viruses transmitted through biological fluids of the body - blood, sperm. Using infected manicure instruments, razors, etc. may lead to infection. The vaccine is developed only against virus B. Abstaining from promiscuous sex will help prevent both forms of hepatitis; visiting beauty salons, where instruments are reliably disinfected; refusal to use other people's personal hygiene items.

Hepatoprotectors – drugs to protect the liver

Support liver function in case of infection, acute and chronic forms hepatitis, as well as at the stage of recovery after acute hepatitis, natural hepatoprotectors - drugs plant origin. They can be included in complex treatment regimens.

Their prophylactic appointment recommended for healthy people with increased loads to the liver. Athletes whose liver is working to the limit due to increased physical activity and increased metabolism. A drug from the Fitness Life line was created for them. Choleretic and liver cleansing action allows you to include in hepatoprotectors drug for digestionMezi-Vit + from the same sports series.

Malfunctions of the liver caused by errors in liver function and stagnation of bile are also a reason to take a course of a hepatoprotective drug. Many herbs and dietary supplements based on them help cleanse the liver and the birth of its new cells - hepatocytes. We can recommend both and , And , And . Take care of your liver so it can take care of you and stay healthy!

HEALTH NEWS.

According to WHO, diseases caused by hepatitis A, B, C, D and E viruses represent serious problem for public health around the world. Since 2008, at the initiative of the World Hepatitis Alliance, World Hepatitis Day has been held on May 19.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has joined this initiative and has declared July 28 as World Hepatitis Day since 2011.

The liver is the largest gland in the human body. It was with her, according to the ancient Greeks, that life and love were associated. They believed that the soul resides in the liver. And perhaps they were right in some ways, since modern research confirm that the condition of the liver depends, among other things, on how the liver works nervous system. The French still call the liver “the mood gland.” A Chinese medicine generally connects the aging process of the body with the work of the liver. So, healthy liver- the pledge is not only full life, but also in a good mood. According to WHO statistics, more than 30% of the adult population of the Earth suffers from one or another liver disease, among which one of the first places is occupied by hepatitis and, in turn, the first place among them is occupied by viral ones. What is hepatitis from the point of view of doctors? By definition, hepatitis is common name acute or chronic diffuse, that is, spreading to the entire organ, inflammation of the liver that has arisen for one reason or another.

What are the causes of hepatitis?

There can be quite a few causes of hepatitis, but the main ones are viral infections, primarily hepatitis viruses A, B, C, D E, F, G. These are the listed hepatotropic viruses that affect the liver, which have already been discovered and studied. Most likely, there are more of them, and each of the viruses also has its own genotypes. In addition to them, there are also other, non-hepatotropic viruses (herpes, cytomegalovirus, etc.), which also infect the liver. We have the most common viruses A, B, C, D. We will talk about them. In addition to viruses, hepatitis can also be caused by intoxication various kinds. This can happen, for example, against the background of prolonged and frequent use alcohol, systematic use of certain medications, or due to work in hazardous industries, such as furniture or tobacco production, pesticides, etc. It is enough to inhale vapors or be in direct contact with harmful substances. By the way, pesticides, which were once generously used to cultivate the land, played a fatal role for some republics in the sense that they became a hotbed of hepatitis concentration on the map of Europe.

Which of the above reasons are leading? What causes hepatitis in most cases?

In more than half of the cases, people get viral hepatitis. But a fairly large percentage of these hepatitises are of a mixed nature - they include external factors, damaging the liver (various intoxications, alcohol, etc.).

How does hepatitis become infected?

Some distinction needs to be made here. If we talk about hepatitis A, then infection occurs fecal-oral route. From external environment the virus gets onto hands from insufficiently washed fruits, vegetables, etc., is transferred to the gastrointestinal tract, and the person becomes ill. It is believed that this type of hepatitis is typical for backward and developing countries, where the standard of living is low and basic sanitary and hygienic standards are not observed, which is why hepatitis A is also called the “disease of dirty hands.” In general, this type of hepatitis is not very common, and is rather considered a disease of childhood and adolescence. There are some doctors who classify it as a childhood infection. This may be correct, because it has completely different specifics than other hepatitis. What is the difference? This is also an inflammation of the liver, but in the vast majority of cases the patient recovers, and as a result of exposure immune system The body becomes immune to this virus for the rest of its life. It turns out to be a kind of vaccination. After all, when a child gets sick with measles, chickenpox, etc., he acquires immunity for life. So hepatitis A stands alone among hepatitis and is considered not as dangerous as others. Although it happens, fortunately, it is extremely rare that this most seemingly “harmless” of hepatitis manifests itself in a severe form and ends in death. In this case, the liver is not fundamentally and permanently damaged, its cells simply swell, blood circulation is disrupted, and the patient falls into a coma, or massive necrosis develops and the cells are destroyed.

How is hepatitis transmitted by other types of viruses - B, C and D?

The main route of transmission, the most important, and the only one that can be, is the direct entry of infected blood, its microscopic particles, from a sick person into the blood healthy person. The sources of the virus are patients with hepatitis and virus carriers. The virus can be transmitted naturally or artificially. Of the natural ones, the most common transmission is:

1. During sexual intercourse, if one of the partners is sick or a virus carrier.
2. From a mother with hepatitis to a child through the placenta during pregnancy or during childbirth.

Artificial transmission of the virus occurs:

– in case of transfusion of contaminated blood or its components;

– when using unsterilized or insufficiently sterilized instruments, manicure accessories, when using one toothbrush. It is entirely possible for a child to accidentally, by mistake, take the brush of a parent with chronic hepatitis.

If there is a person with hepatitis in the family, all his hygiene items should be in a separate place.

Signs and symptoms of hepatitis B and C diseases.

Before talking about the symptoms, it must be said that hepatitis can be acute and chronic. Acute hepatitis have a beginning, a peak and an end: either the person recovers completely and antibodies to the hepatitis virus with which he was ill are formed in his body, or the disease becomes chronic.

Chronic hepatitis, that is, inflammation, can last for many years, and gradually, radically damaging morphological structure liver, turn into cirrhosis (this is no longer inflammation, but a change in the structure of the liver). Moreover, hepatitis will continue further, already against the background of this cirrhotic liver.

Acute hepatitis has more severe symptoms than chronic ones, especially at the peak of the disease. Each hepatitis has certain characteristics of its debut, but there are also symptoms general order. Often initial signs disguised as the onset of another disease, such as a cold. In this case, some catarrhal symptoms (runny nose, cough), low-grade fever are observed for one to two weeks.

Also initial symptoms hepatitis may manifest as disorders gastrointestinal tract. Again, for a couple of weeks a person may feel some discomfort in the stomach and intestines, nausea, and upset stool.

Another option for the onset of hepatitis is when it disguises itself as joint disease, a kind of rheumatoid attack. In this case, pain is felt in the muscles, joints, and low-grade fever.

After that initial stage the patient may turn yellow (popularly, hepatitis is often called jaundice). This sign means stagnation of bile, its entry into the blood, to put it more simply. And this, in a sense, is not so bad, since jaundice is one of the obvious signs of hepatitis and signals the disease. But this doesn't always happen. It happens that yellowness is unnoticeable or fleeting, a person attributes the initial symptoms to overwork, stress, etc., and does not suspect that he is developing hepatitis.

If you or your loved ones experience any of the signs described above, be sure to pay attention to some other symptoms characteristic of hepatitis, namely:

– on the whites of the eyes (they turn yellow);

– on the color of urine (in the morning the urine is physiologically darker than in the afternoon, but if during the day it is also dark, approximately the color of beer, there is a reason to consult a doctor);

– on the color of the stool (sometimes it becomes lighter or discolored)

How to protect yourself?

Considering that most infected individuals can long time Even if you are not aware of your illness, every person should always remember the possibility of infection in the situations described above and use appropriate precautions.

July 28, 2016 is World Hepatitis Day. This day was first held in 2008 at the initiative of the International Hepatitis Alliance. And in 2011, the World Health Organization (WHO) added this date to its calendar, and thus World Hepatitis Day received official status. The date July 28 was determined in honor of the birthday of the American physician Baruch Samuel Bloomberg, a Nobel Prize winner who discovered the hepatitis B virus and developed the first vaccine against viral hepatitis B.

The symbol of Hepatitis Day is “Three Wise Monkeys” and the corresponding motto - “I see nothing, hear nothing, say nothing” - as an indicator of the attitude of modern society towards the problem of hepatitis, that is, ignoring this formidable problem.

According to World Organization Health (WHO), currently viral hepatitis has affected about 2 billion people, that is, every third inhabitant of the Earth. Some have already been ill, while others are carriers of the pathology. Of these, every twelfth person in the world is infected with hepatitis B or C viruses. Viral hepatitis is one of the eight leading causes of death in the world; every year this disease claims the lives of almost 1.5 million people.

The spread of the disease is facilitated by the fact that in the vast majority of cases it is hidden and asymptomatic. Without treatment, chronic viral hepatitis often leads to the development of cirrhosis or liver cancer. However, many infected people are not even aware of their illness and not only are they not treated themselves, but they can also unknowingly become a source of the virus for other people.

Sources of hepatitis viral infection are patients with any form of acute and chronic hepatitis, as well as chronic virus carriers.

Today, 8 varieties of hepatitis virus are known in the world (A, B, C, D, E, G, TTV, Sen).

In our region, there are mainly 4 types of hepatitis: A, B, C and D (Delta).

Incubation period (the period from the moment of infection until the development of antibodies or the appearance of clinical symptoms) ranges from 14 to 180 days, most often ranging from 6 to 8 weeks.

The route of transmission of hepatitis A (popularly called “jaundice” or “Botkin’s disease”) is fecal-oral and food-borne - this is a “disease of dirty hands” and children are more likely to get it.

Hepatitis B and C are called parenteral because they can be spread through blood contact. This includes infections through blood, semen or other fluids.

Infection occurs vertically (transmission from mother to child in utero or at birth); sexual (transmission through sexual contact); contact-household (transmission in conditions of close everyday communication when sharing personal hygiene items: toothbrushes, razors and manicure equipment, washcloths, combs, etc.).

Infection can also occur during various manipulations associated with violation of the integrity of the skin and mucous membranes when using untreated needles and instruments during tattooing, piercing, ritual ceremonies, earlobe piercings, shaving, manicure, etc.

Over the last six months of 2016 in Volgograd region There has been an increase in the number of cases of acute viral hepatitis A and B (http://34.rospotrebnadzor.ru/).

Viral hepatitis is exactly the case when the banal truth: “It is easier to prevent than to cure” proves its historical correctness, since viral hepatitis is of an insidious nature, and some of them are life-threatening. Knowing the routes and mechanisms of transmission of hepatitis viruses, you can avoid the entry of pathogenic cells into the body.

It is generally accepted that the most effective measure in the fight against hepatitis A and B is vaccination. Unfortunately, there are no drugs for specific prevention hepatitis C, which largely determines the difficulty of combating this infection.

Hepatitis diseases can be prevented, but most people do not know how to act. Therefore, on World Hepatitis Day, events are being held all over the world to raise awareness among the population about this terrible infection. This year's theme for World Hepatitis Day is to eradicate hepatitis and will launch on 28 July 2016 NOhep— global movement to end hepatitis. This movement aims to: unite people and provide them with a platform to express their opinions; participation of the population in the work to eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030.

Take care of yourself and be healthy!

Grebenkova T.N.

methodologist

GKUZ "VOTSMP"