World Hepatitis Day: Turning Awareness Into Action
The 28th of July is no ordinary day on the calendar. It is World Hepatitis Day, a reminder to the world that millions are quietly living with a preventable and treatable disease.
More than 300 million people globally live with viral hepatitis. Unfortunately, many of them will not find out until it is too late. Why? An absence of symptoms early on, coupled with minimal awareness. Today is different. Today is about opting for action over passivity.
The Hidden Threat Hiding in the Liver
Hepatitis is not an illness but a group of viruses, i.e., hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E, that infect the liver. While some subtypes recover with adequate care, hepatitis B and C can go on quietly to become chronic infections.
With time, the infections can result in cirrhosis, liver failure, and even liver cancer. You may be carrying the infection around for years, with no indication, until your liver has been irreversibly damaged. That is why detecting it early is very crucial.
Your Best Defense Is Awareness and Action
Thanks to advances in medicine, we already have effective means of combating hepatitis. Vaccines are available for both hepatitis A and B, and they provide safe and effective protection.
Hepatitis C, the once-debilitating chronic disease, is now treatable in most people with current antiviral drugs. But these solutions are of no use if people don't know they need them. That begins with awareness. It follows with a simple blood test. And it becomes life-saving when treatment is administered early. This is not merely a matter of medical treatment; it is enabling individuals to safeguard themselves.
Do Not Wait for Symptoms to Wake You Up
Most individuals believe that being healthy is to feel healthy. But hepatitis does not always wake you up. It does not ring your doorbell with discomfort or fever. It functions quietly, injuring your liver without your awareness. That is why waiting for symptoms cannot be done. Whether you are fine or not, whether you are young or old, taking the initiative to be tested can save your life and the lives of the people you love. Prevention and early treatment are the only ways forward.
Together, We Can Eliminate Hepatitis
The World Health Organization has established a lofty yet attainable target, which is to eradicate hepatitis as a public health problem by the year 2030. This World Hepatitis Day, choose to care. Choose to act. The virus might be silent, but your voice is not.
Begin by getting informed about the facts. Get tested. Speak with your family. Share this message. Because when consciousness spreads quicker than the disease, we all benefit. Let today be the day that drives you from cognition to action, because your action may be the reason one lives.
