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Viral hepatitis is a group of infectious diseases that affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide, causing serious illness and death from acute hepatitis infection, liver cancer and liver cirrhosis. Although there are effective tools and strategies for
the prevention and treatment of hepatitis, low awareness of hepatitis has limited their impact. Given the variation in how the five main types of hepatitis (A, B, C, D and E) manifest across and within countries, global prevention and control efforts need to be transformed into national and sub-national prevention and control strategies. In 2010, the World Health Assembly adopted resolution WHA 63.18 in recognition of viral hepatitis as a global public health problem. The World Health Organization (WHO) followed up on the resolution by crafting a strategy that addresses four axes: awareness-raising, partnerships and resource mobilization; evidence-based policy and data for action; prevention of transmission; and screening, care and treatment.
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