World Hepatitis Day 2023: Date, Theme (One life, one liver), Significance, History

Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver which is a cause of numerous health problems, most dangerous being liver cancer. World Hepatitis Day (WHD) is observed on 28 July to raise awareness against global problem of viral hepatitis and to bring change in this situation. People from all over the world are urged to come together and take action towards elimination of this disease.

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Every 30 seconds a person dies from hepatitis related illness and WHD provided a great opportunity to draw people’s attention towards the importance of knowing your hepatitis status and to spread the word about treatment. World Hepatitis Day is among the 11 official health campaigns as mentioned by the World Health Organization.

World Hepatitis Day 2023 Overview

Event	World Hepatitis Day 2023
Date	July 28, 2023
Day	Friday
Declared by	United Nations
Purpose	To encourage deterrence, analysis and treatment of Hepatitis
Theme 2023	One life, one liver

World Hepatitis Day 2023 Date

Event	Date	Day
World Hepatitis Day 2023	July 28, 2023	Friday
World Hepatitis Day 2024	July 28, 2024	Sunday
World Hepatitis Day 2025	July 28, 2025	Monday
World Hepatitis Day 2026	July 28, 2026	Tuesday
World Hepatitis Day 2027	July 28, 2027	Wednesday

World Hepatitis Day Significance

So much progress has been achieved in fight against hepatitis and still a lot more needs to be done for complete elimination of the disease. World Hepatitis Day provides an opportunity to increase awareness and encourage facilitation of prevention, diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis. The main goal for observing this day is four-fold.

It is to raise awareness of the different forms of hepatitis and how they are transmitted, strengthen prevention, screening and control of viral hepatitis and its related diseases, increase coverage of hepatitis B vaccine and its incorporation into national immunization programs and coordinate a global response to hepatitis.

History of World Hepatitis Day

Various European and Middle Eastern Patient Groups and Baby Muriel observed International Hepatitis C Awareness day on October 1, 2004. There are other groups that celebrated Hepatitis day on different day. Considering this, the need to observe one single global day for fight against the disease was felt. In 2008 the World Hepatitis Alliance and patient groups declared May 19 to be celebrated as the first global World Hepatitis Day.

Later in May 2010 at the 63rd World Health Assembly, the United Nations adoption a resolution and July 28 was chosen instead of May 19 to be observed as World Hepatitis Day, the day was chosen to honor Nobel Laureate Baruch Samuel Blumberg, discoverer of the hepatitis B virus, which was also his birthday. Since 2011, every 28 July is observed as World Hepatitis Day and is celebrated with a different theme.

World Hepatitis Day 2023 Theme

World Hepatitis Day 2023 theme is “One life, one liver”

The theme for World Hepatitis Day 2022 was “Hepatitis Can’t Wait.” The theme is chosen because the need to stop spread of this disease is urgent and it can’t wait anymore. The motto for this year celebration are as follows:

“People living with viral hepatitis unaware can’t wait for testing”
“People living with hepatitis can’t wait for life saving treatments”
“Expectant mothers can’t wait for hepatitis screening and treatment”
“Newborn babies can’t wait for birth dose vaccination”
“People affected by hepatitis can’t wait to end stigma and discrimination”
“Community organizations can’t wait for greater investment”
“Decision makers can’t wait and must act now to make hepatitis elimination a reality through political will and funding.”

World Hepatitis Day 2023 Celebration

More than 100 countries across the globe recognize and celebrate World Hepatitis Day. Many events such as free screenings, poster campaigns, demonstrations, concerts, talk shows, flash mobs and vaccination drives are carried out in observance of this day.

These events are organized by different government and non-government organizations and people are encouraged to take part in it.

International Days in July

Friendship Day	World Youth Skills Day
World Hepatitis Day	World Chess Day
International Moon Day	World Drowning Prevention Day
Nelson Mandela International Day	World population Day
End Human Trafficking Day

FAQs

What are the different variants of Hepatitis?

There are five main strains of the hepatitis virus – A, B, C, D and E. Hepatitis B and C are the most common cause of deaths and take more than 1.3 million lives each year.

Amid Covid situation, why Hepatitis is still considered a priority?

Hepatitis affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide, causing acute and chronic disease. It can cause inflammation of the liver, both acute and chronic and is also one of the most common causes of cirrhosis and may also cause liver cancer.

Is there a Guinness World Record for World Hepatitis Day observation?

Yes, in fact there is a Guinness World Record created in 2012 when 12,588 people from 20 countries did the Three Wise Monkeys actions on World Hepatitis Day to highlight the unawareness of the disease.

1 thought on “World Hepatitis Day 2023: Date, Theme (<strong>One life, one liver</strong>), Significance, History”

OAGENG BARAEDI

2023-05-21 at 3:26 am

Can testing for Hepatitis B be made compulsory for all students in the health field?
Moreover, vaccination should be legislated across the world for health care students.