World Hepatitis Day

On July 28 this year (and every day on), let's raise worldwide awareness of hepatitis.

Many are unaware they may currently be living with hepatitis. Don't wait; get tested.

Hepatitis, simply put, is inflammation of the liver. The liver's function is to filter and process nutrients carried in blood traveling from the stomach & intestines. This crucial organ is critical for creating nutrients and digesting drugs into useful forms for our body. However liver-inflammation can interfere with these vital processes.

Causes of liver inflammation (other than the primary 5 strand of hepatitis): alcohol abuse, certain prescription drugs, previous medical conditions, tissue damage, over-consumption of fat.

Hepatitis A, B, C, D, E

These strands of hepatitis are more so associated with World Hepatitis Day, as they are transferrable between individuals, and linked to an infectious disease. On World Hepatitis Day, let's spread awareness, encouraging prevention, diagnosis, and intervention.

Hepatitis A

very contagious (through close contact or contaminated consumption), vaccine-preventable, ~2 months

Yellow skin or eyes, Loss of appetite, Throwing up, Stomach pain, Fever, Dark urine or light- colored stools, Diarrhea, Joint pain, Feeling tired

Hepatitis B

Hepatitis C

Hepatitis D

Hepatitis E

World Hepatitis Day, celebrated annually on July 28th, is an opportunity to raise awareness of the global burden of viral hepatitis and to recognize the discovery of the Hepatitis B virus in 1967 by Nobel prize-winning scientist Dr. Baruch Blumberg and his subsequent achievements in developing a diagnostic test and vaccine for the virus (Tbilisi).

Resources

Tbilisi, U. S. E. (2022, July 28). Embassy CDC and NCDC Georgia celebrate World

Hepatitis Day 2022. U.S. Embassy in Georgia. Retrieved July 28, 2022, from

https://ge.usembassy.gov/embassy-cdc-and-ncdc-georgia-celebrate-world-hepatitis-

day-2022/

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, June 22). Hepatitis E - faqs, resources,

and testing requests. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved July 28,

2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/hev/index.htm

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