India 2nd Highest in Hepatitis B & Hepatitis C in the World

What’s in today’s article?

Why in the News?

About Hepatitis

Classification of Hepatitis Virus

Causes of Hepatitis

Common Symptoms of Infectious Hepatitis

Prevention of Hepatitis

News Summary

Cases in India

Why in the News?

The World Health Organisation on April 9 published the 2024 Global Hepatitis Report.

About Hepatitis

• Hepatitis refers to an inflammatory condition of the liver.
• It is commonly the result of a viral infection, but there are other possible causes of hepatitis.
  • These include autoimmune hepatitis and hepatitis that occurs as a secondary result of medications, drugs, toxins, and alcohol.
  • Autoimmune hepatitis is a disease that occurs when your body makes antibodies against your liver tissue.
• The liver is a vital organ that processes nutrients, filters the blood, and fights infections.
• When the liver is inflamed or damaged, its function can be affected.
• The five main viral classifications of hepatitis are hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E. A different virus is responsible for each type of viral hepatitis.

Classification of Hepatitis Virus

• Hepatitis A:
  • Hepatitis A is the result of an infection with the hepatitis A virus (HAV). This type of hepatitis is an acute, short-term disease.
  • Treatment: Since it is a short-term illness, it may not require treatment.
• Hepatitis B:
  • The hepatitis B virus (HBV) causes hepatitis B. This is often an ongoing, chronic condition.
  • Treatment: There is no specific treatment program for acute hepatitis B.
• Hepatitis C:
  • Hepatitis C comes from the hepatitis C virus (HCV).
  • HCV is among the most common bloodborne viral infections and typically presents as a long-term condition.
  • Treatment: Antiviral medications can treat both acute / chronic forms of hepatitis C.
• Hepatitis D:
  • This is a rare form of hepatitis that only occurs in conjunction with hepatitis B infection.
  • The hepatitis D virus (HDV) causes liver inflammation like other strains, but a person cannot contract HDV without an existing hepatitis B infection.
  • Treatment: The WHO lists pegylated interferon alpha as a treatment for hepatitis D.
• However, this medication can have severe side effects.
• As a result, it’s not recommended for people with cirrhosis liver damage.
• Hepatitis E:
  • Hepatitis E is a waterborne disease that results from exposure to the hepatitis E virus (HEV).
  • Hepatitis E is mainly found in areas with poor sanitation and typically results from ingesting fecal matter that contaminates the water supply.
  • Treatment: Currently, no specific medical therapies are available to treat hepatitis E.
• Because the infection is often acute, it typically resolves on its own.

Causes of Hepatitis

• Causes of non-infectious Hepatitis:

Although hepatitis is most commonly the result of an infection, other factors can cause the condition.

• Alcohol and other toxins:
  • Excess alcohol consumption can cause liver damage and inflammation. This may also be referred to as alcoholic hepatitis.
  • The alcohol directly injures the cells of your liver. Over time, it can cause permanent damage and lead to thickening or scarring of liver tissue (cirrhosis) and liver failure.
  • Other toxic causes of hepatitis include misuse of medications and exposure to toxins.
• Autoimmune System Response:
  • In some cases, the immune system mistakes the liver as harmful and attacks it.
  • This causes ongoing inflammation that can range from mild to severe, often hindering liver function.
  • It’s three times more common in women than in men.

Common Symptoms of Infectious Hepatitis

Fatigue, flu-like symptoms, dark urine, pale stool, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, unexplained weight loss, yellow skin and eyes, which may be signs of jaundice.

Prevention of Hepatitis

• There are vaccines that can help protect against many hepatitis viruses.
  • There are vaccines for prevention against Hepatitis A, B and D.
  • However, it is important to note that currently there is no vaccine for Hepatitis C or E.
• Minimizing the risk of exposure to substances containing these viruses can also be an important preventive measure.

News Summary

• The World Health Organization’s Global Hepatitis Report 2024 was released, recently.
• As per the report, the number of lives lost due to viral hepatitis is increasing with the disease being the second leading infectious cause of death globally— with 1.3 million deaths per year— the same as tuberculosis.
• Data from 187 countries show that the estimated number of deaths from viral hepatitis increased from 1.1 million in 2019 to 1.3 million in 2022.
  • Of these, 83% were caused by hepatitis B, and 17% by hepatitis C.
• Every day, 3,500 people are dying globally due to hepatitis B and C infections.
• Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia and Vietnam collectively have nearly two-thirds of the global burden of hepatitis B and C.
• 254 million people lived with hepatitis B and 50 million with hepatitis C in 2022.
• Half the burden of chronic hepatitis B and C infections is among people 30–54 years old, with 12% among children under 18 years of age. Men account for 58% of all cases.

Hepatitis Cases in India

• India had over 3.5 lakh cases of viral hepatitis in 2022, accounting for 11.6 percent of the total disease burden globally.
• India, second only to China in the viral hepatitis burden, registered 2.98 crore hepatitis B cases and 55 lakh hepatitis C cases in 2022.
• In 2022, 98,305 people died due to hepatitis B while 26,206 succumbed to hepatitis C.
• Only 2.4 percent of those infected in the country had received diagnosis coverage, as per the report.
• Hepatitis B vaccine in India, as part of the Centre’s Universal Immunization Programme, was piloted in 2002-03 and then scaled up in the entire country in 2010 to protect children from the acute infection.
  • It is now provided as part of the pentavalent vaccine at 6, 10 & 14 weeks apart from the birth dose of hepatitis B vaccine.

However, a 2020 study from India said that although the coverage of third-dose hepatitis B vaccine has reached 86 percent in the country, the birth-dose coverage was only 45 percent in 2015 despite high rates of institutional deliveries.

Q1. What is Cirrhosis of the Liver?

 Chronic liver damage from a variety of causes leading to scarring and liver failure. Hepatitis and chronic alcohol abuse are frequent causes.

Q2. What is the Universal Immunisation Programme?

Universal Immunisation Programme is a vaccination programme launched by the Government of India in 1985. It became a part of Child Survival and Safe Motherhood Programme in 1992 and is currently one of the key areas under the National Health Mission since 2005

Source: WHO sounds alarm on viral hepatitis infections claiming 3,500 lives every day 

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