Excerpt
Hepatitis in the Americas: Report reveals the enormous scale of this silent epidemic
January 23, 2017. The first report of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) on viral hepatitis reveals the enormous scale of this silent epidemic in the Americas, and advocates an organized response by the countries of the region to prevent, detect and treat those who need it.
The new report, “Hepatitis B and C in the Spotlight: A public health response in the Region of the Americas 2016” estimates that about 2.8 million people have chronic hepatitis B virus infection and about 7.2 million have hepatitis C virus. Of these three of every four persons do not know they have the infection, which can lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer and even death if not treated on time.
“Hepatitis is a silent epidemic because people who have the infections do not have symptoms until there is damage to the liver, and because the burden of the disease has not been fully recognized. informing people about these diseases and ways to prevent them is crucial,” according to Massimo Ghidinelli, chief of the HIV, Hepatitis, Tuberculosis and Sexually Transmitted Infections unit at PAHO/WHO.
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