World Hepatitis Day 2016World Hepatitis Day being observed today. The theme this year is ‘Elimination’. At the World Health Assembly in May this year, WHO and member States adopted the first ever Elimination Strategy for Viral Hepatitis. The goal is to eliminate hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030.

World Hepatitis Day is one of eight official global public health campaigns marked by the WHO. Hepatitis is a group of infectious diseases known as Hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E. According to WHO Hepatitis affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide, causing acute and chronic disease and killing close to 1.4 million people every year.

To elevate the theme of elimination “NOhep”, WHO will launch a global elimination movement to bring people together. It will provide a platform for people to speak out, be engaged and take action to ensure global commitments are met and viral hepatitis is eliminated by 2030.