World Hepatitis Day 2020 | UPSC
HEADLINES:
Dr. Harsh Vardhan participates in 2nd Empathy e-Conclave on “World Hepatitis Day” for creating awareness among parliamentarians
WHY IN NEWS:
Hot from PIB !
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 3:Health:Diseases
LEARNING:
For PRELIMS it is important to go through the theme and the initiative .
For MAINS go through the symptoms and treatment . That should suffice your preparation . Let us dive in !
ISSUE:
WORLD HEPATITIS DAY
AIM
THEME
This year’s theme is “Hepatitis-free future-WHO,” with a strong focus on preventing hepatitis B among mothers and newborns.
The theme of this year’s conclave is-
DIFFERENT STRAINS OF HEPATITIS
- Together, hepatitis B and C are the most common cause of deaths, with 1.3 million lives lost each year.
- Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, viral hepatitis continues to claim thousands of lives every day.
EVENT
- The event was organised by Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) in collaboration with Airport Authority of India (AAI) for creating awareness .
HEPATITIS
- Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver that can cause a range of health problems and can be fatal.
- While they all cause liver disease.
- The strains differ in important ways including modes of transmission, severity of the illness and geographical distribution.
- Together they the most common cause of liver cirrhosis, cancer and viral hepatitis-related deaths.
- An estimated 325 million people worldwide live with hepatitis B and/or C.
SYSMPTOMS
- Each form of the virus, however, can cause more severe symptoms.
- Symptoms of hepatitis A, B and C may include fever, malaise, loss of appetite, diarrhoea, nausea, abdominal discomfort, dark-coloured urine and jaundice.
TREATMENT
- Safe and effective vaccines are available to prevent hepatitis B virus (HBV).
- Chronic hepatitis B infection can be treated with antiviral agents.
- Treatment can slow the progression of cirrhosis, reduce incidence of liver cancer and improve long term survival.
IASbhai WINDUP:
- While the mortality due to COVID-19 is approximately 2 to 3 % and most cases are largely asymptomatic cases.
- It is important to create awareness about the higher risk of both morbidity and mortality faced by people with co-morbidities like diabetes, obesity and fatty liver, chronic liver diseases.
SOURCES:THE HINDU & PIB | World Hepatitis Day 2020 | UPSC
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