Dr. Muhammad Mahtab Hossain Mazed

Sunday is World Hepatitis Day (World Hepatitis Day 2024). The day is observed on 28th July every year to raise awareness about hepatitis. However, why today is World Hepatitis Day, do you know? Because, July 28 is the birthday of Dr. Baruch Bloomberg. He was the first to discover Hepatitis B virus.

> What is hepatitis?

Hepatitis is actually an infection of the liver. Hepatitis is divided into five categories. Hepatitis A, B, C, D and E. Different viruses are responsible for each viral hepatitis. Hepatitis B and C viruses are becoming very dangerous in the country. About 22,000 patients die each year. Hepatitis infection is gradually manifesting itself as a corona epidemic. According to the recently released World Health Organization (WHO) report, Bangladesh ranks seventh among the 10 high-risk countries. First is China and second is India. In such a situation, it is necessary to take quick steps to prevent the infection and death of new generations as well as to increase the scope of good treatment. 8.3 million people of all ages in Bangladesh are infected with Hepatitis B and C. Among them, 72 lakh patients are infected with hepatitis B and 10 lakh 20 thousand patients with hepatitis C. The rate of two types of hepatitis is 2.7 percent.

In China, which is at the top, the number of patients with two types of hepatitis is 83.8 million and the rate of infection is 27.5 percent, in India, the number of patients is 35.3 million and the rate of infection is 11.6 percent, and in Indonesia, which is in the third position, the number of patients is 1.89 million and the rate of infection is 27.5 percent. 6.2 percent. The number of patients in Pakistan, which is one step above Bangladesh, is 1.26 million and the infection rate is 4.4 percent. Russia, which is at the bottom of the list, has 4.3 million patients and an infection rate of 1.4 percent.

However, among the 9 countries with high risk of hepatitis B disease, Bangladesh is the sixth. China is at the top of this list. Then India and Indonesia. Pakistan is at the bottom.

However, Bangladesh is ranked 10th in the list of 15 countries with high risk of Hepatitis C. Pakistan is at the top of this list. Then India and China. Malaysia is at the bottom of the list.

According to the report of the organization, the number of hepatitis B and C patients worldwide is 304 million. Of these, 254 million are carrying hepatitis B and 50 million are carrying hepatitis C virus. Half of those infected with the virus are between the ages of 30 and 54. 58 percent of those affected are men and 12 percent are children.

According to the organization's report, new data from 187 countries showed that the number of deaths from viral hepatitis in 2019 was 1.1 million. In 2022, it increased to 13 lakh. 3 thousand 500 people die worldwide every day due to hepatitis infection. Among them, 83 percent are dying from hepatitis B and 17 percent from hepatitis C.

By the end of 2022, only 13 percent of people with chronic hepatitis B had been diagnosed and 3 percent received antiviral treatment, the report said. From 2015 to 2022, 36 percent received a diagnosis and 20 percent received medication. By 2022, 7 million people were treated for hepatitis B and 1.25 million were treated for hepatitis C, far short of the international target to control the disease by 2030.

It is such a virus that sits silently in the human body. It slowly becomes horrible. He later died of liver cirrhosis and cancer. There is a need to create awareness among people and provide affordable treatment.
Hepatitis B virus infection rate is highest among 30 to 54 year olds. That is, when entering the work area, Jaoubeshi is affected. Everything is over before you know it. Like a silent killer. As these seniors die, the family is also in dire financial straits. In addition, many families are struggling to manage expensive medical services. So we have to prepare now to have time.

> Common symptoms of hepatitis
The main symptoms seen in people who get acute hepatitis are fatigue, flu-like symptoms, abdominal pain, fever, dark urine, loss of appetite, yellowing of the skin and eyes, and depletion of ozone.

> Significance of World Hepatitis Day
The day is observed to draw attention to what is hepatitis, what are its symptoms, how to prevent it, what can happen if not treated on time, to inform and warn people about the risks and effects of hepatitis.

Why is World Hepatitis Day celebrated on July 28?
World Hepatitis Day is observed every year on July 28 on the birthday of Dr. Baruch Bloomberg. He discovered hepatitis B virus in 1967. And two years later, he developed the first hepatitis B vaccine. He received the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1976 for this achievement.

> Modes of transmission of hepatitis: Unsafe blood (professional donors), syringes, physical intercourse, drug addicts, drug use through same syringe, unsafe acupuncture, mother to newborn can spread. It can also be spread through toothbrushes and shaving materials.

Hepatitis B is of two types, acute and chronic. What is the difference? Acute hepatitis usually occurs in adults. If the virus enters their body in any way, fever, jaundice, loss of appetite, white faeces, nausea, yellow urine - all these symptoms appear in the patient's body. Symptoms may appear 6 weeks to 6 months after the virus enters the body. Symptoms are more severe in the first 1 to 3 months of infection. And within 6 months, the virus is usually eliminated. After that, antibodies are produced in the body.
According to the report of the World Health Organization, about 4 thousand people die in the world every day and one person every 30 seconds due to hepatitis B and C - these two viruses. But these two deadly viruses are preventable.

> Cause:* Virus- Hepatitis 'A' virus; Hepatitis 'B' virus; Hepatitis 'C' virus; Hepatitis 'D' virus; Hepatitis E virus* can be transmitted (from one person to another) through faecal urine. Directly from the mouth such as drinking a glass of water or kissing an infected person on the mouth; It can come indirectly like clothes can come from clothes. *If there are infected people in densely populated areas, it can spread. * Children are more affected. * Easily spread through water, milk and seal fish etc. * Due to unhealthy environment. * By giving and taking blood. * Alcohol.

> The time of the first attack of hepatitis = The biggest victims of hepatitis are the members of the army. In 1861, the number of people affected by hepatitis in the American Civil War was 52 thousand and in World War II, 1.6 million people died of hepatitis.

Until World War II, the cause of hepatitis was a mystery to science. In the second half of the 20th century, it became possible to understand the reasons for this. In 1963, geneticist Baruch Samuel Blumberg discovered hepatitis-B virus. He was testing genetic susceptibility to various diseases. Coincidentally, an Australian aborigine discovered the Hepatitis-B virus through a blood test. Hence the name Australian antigen. Two years later, with microbiologist Millman, he discovered a hepatitis B vaccine. Hepatitis-A, Hepatitis-D, Hepatitis-C and Hepatitis-E viruses were discovered in 1970, 1977, 1989 and 1990 respectively. Bloomberg won the Nobel Prize in 1976 for his discovery.

Finally, hepatitis is a viral liver disease. There are five types of hepatitis in medicineHepatitis A and E are short-term liver diseases. It heals at some point with rest. However, hepatitis B and C virus infections are deadly. There are five types of hepatitis viruses, all of them are infected in Bangladesh. Most people suffer from this virus. It spreads more. E virus is mainly spread through water. Up to 3 percent of infected people die from hepatitis A and E virus infection. And hepatitis B and C virus spreads mainly through blood and body fluids.

And there is no alternative to creating public awareness. Now to reduce this march of death, first of all, people should be made awareTherefore, hepatitis patients should remember that hepatitis is not a common disease, so if you want to get proper treatment, take the advice of an experienced doctor. Every year, World Hepatitis Day is celebrated in Bangladesh along with 160 countries of the world.

The writer is a, Founder Chairman, Jatiya Rogi Kallyan Society Physician, columnist and researcher