World Hepatitis Day

The observance of World Hepatitis Day, 28 July, is an opportunity to step up national and international efforts on hepatitis, encourage actions and engagement by individuals, partners and the public and highlight the need for a greater global response as outlined in the World Health Organization's Global hepatitis report of 2017. The date of 28 July was chosen because it is the birthday of Nobel-prize winning scientist Dr Baruch Blumberg, who discovered hepatitis B virus (HBV) and developed a diagnostic test and vaccine for the virus. Low coverage of testing and treatment is the most important gap to be addressed in order to achieve the global elimination goals by 2030.

FORUM: World Hepatitis Day 2020, "Towards a hepatitis-free future. "

There are five main strains of the hepatitis virus – A, B, C, D and E. 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. This year’s theme is “Hepatitis-free future,” with a strong focus on preventing hepatitis B among mothers and newborns. On 28 July, WHO will publish new recommendations on the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of the virus.

High-level Global Talk Show: Towards a “Hepatitis-free future”. 28 July 2020 13:00 – 15:15 CET

The WHO will celebrate World Hepatitis Day 2020 under the theme “Hepatitis-free future” and launch the new recommendations for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of the hepatitis B virus (HBV). Join high-level speakers and experts from WHO, member states, key partners and civil society to hear about the progress towards elimination of viral hepatitis as a public health threat.

High-level speakers will include:

  • Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General

  • Her Excellency Mrs Sika Kaboré, First Lady of Burkina Faso

  • Dr Kalumbi Shangula, Minister of Health and Social Services, Namibia

  • Dr Osagie Ehanire, Minister of Health, Nigeria

  • Mrs Amira El Fadil, African Union Commissioner for Social Affairs

  • Dr Alioune Coulibaly, Board of World Hepatitis Alliance

  • Dr Tshidi Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa

  • Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia

  • Dr Ren Minghui, WHO Assistant Director-General Universal Health Coverage/Communicable and Noncommunicable Diseases

Topics include:

  • Progress and challenges towards prevention of mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B in the WHO African Region and globally.

  • Service disruptions and impact on hepatitis services due to the COVID-19 pandemic

  • Highlights from all WHO regions towards viral hepatitis elimination

  • Highlights of the new WHO guidelines on the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of the hepatitis B virus.

To join the webinar, please register in advance with the zoom platform here

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Past Events: