The World Health Organization/Pan-American Health Organization Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Viral Hepatitis was approved last week during the 67th Session of the Regional Committee of WHO for the Americas in Washington, DC!
The new plan not only lays out steps to reduce illnesses and deaths due to hepatitis, but also sets the stage to eliminate hepatitis B and C as public health problems in the Americas by 2030.
The plan of action proposes that Pan-American countries:
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Create national plans and guidelines in line with the latest WHO recommendation to fight hepatitis.
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Integrate and budget care for hepatitis within health services.
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Create or increase information campaigns to raise awareness about hepatitis.
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Make sure that the hepatitis B vaccination reaches all children and targets high-risk and vulnerable populations, such as health-care workers, men who have sex with men, sex workers, and drug users.
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Make sure that protocols are in place to prevent the spread of hep within health-care systems.
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Strengthen systems for reporting and monitoring hepatitis cases.
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Maintain high safety standards for diagnostic techniques and blood supplies.
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Pursue options to expand access to medicines, such as collective negotiation and generic competition.
“The regional response to viral hepatitis has lacked focus in the past, but we now have the opportunity to build a vigorous public health approach. Today the possibility of eliminating viral hepatitis is on the horizon.” ~Marcos Espinal, director of PAHO’s Communicable Diseases and Health Analysis department.