World Day of Fight Against Hepatitis
Within the last 13 years, there has been globally celebrated World Day of Fight Against Hepatitis, which was established by World Health Organization on the initiative of World Alliance of Fight Against Hepatitis. Major goal of celebration is aimed at striving to increase the number of population informed of the threat of various forms of hepatitis.
For the first time, World Day of Fight Against Hepatitis was celebrated on May 19, 2008.
In 2011, representatives of WHO decided to transfer the date of the event to July 28, timing it to coincide with the day of memory of an outstanding American physician and scientist Baruch Samuel Blumberg who discovered viral hepatitis type B in 1964 and developed diagnostic testing of the virus and vaccine against it in the year of 1976.
Hepatitis is an inflammatory disease of liver which usually has viral nature.
There are 5 major types of hepatitis – type A, B, C, D and E. Ways of transfer of diseases depend on the type of viral hepatitis.
Transfer of hepatitis type A is mostly carried out as a result of use of contaminated foodstuff, water or in case of direct contact with the infected person.
Viral hepatitis type B is transferred in a perinatal way from mother to her child as well as in case of contact with blood and other biologic fluids of the infected person.
Viral hepatitis type C is a hemotrans-missible virus, contamination with which mostly takes place in case of contact with small volume of infected blood.
Mechanism of transfer of viral hepatitis type D is the same as with viral hepatitis type B, and for replication of viral hepatitis type D, viral hepatitis type B is required.
Viral hepatitis type E is transferred by fecal and oral ways, mostly through the infected water.
Special annual celebration of World Day of Fight Against Hepatitis by World Health Organization is a vivid example of the fact that this disease is extremely dangerous for the health of the whole mankind and it represents clear evidence of the fact that activities aimed at prevention of this disease are sufficiently vast.
In our country, owing to limitless efforts of our Esteemed President, new-born babies undergo vaccination against viral hepatitis type B within the first 24 hours of their life as well as in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th months along with other vaccines against viral diseases, and besides, vaccination against viral hepatitis type A is carried out for 18-month-old infants.
Sheker Hudayberenova,
II year student of
the Faculty of
International Journalism
of
the Institute of International
Relations of
the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs of Turkmenistan.