MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The countries all over the world should act to reduce deaths from viral hepatitis and improve knowledge about this disease, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Wednesday.
"Ahead of World Hepatitis Day, 28 July, WHO is urging countries to take rapid action to improve knowledge about the disease, and to increase access to testing and treatment services," a WHO press release reads.
"The world has ignored hepatitis at its peril. It is time to mobilize a global response to hepatitis on the scale similar to that generated to fight other communicable diseases like HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis," WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan was quoted as saying by the organization.
The WHO added that in May 194 governments pledged to treat eight million individuals for hepatitis B or C by 2020 as part of the Global Health Sector Strategy on viral hepatitis.
