Responsible for 1.3 million deaths and 2.2 million new infections per year, viral hepatitis is the second leading cause of morbidity and mortality amongst all infectious diseases, just behind tuberculosis.

Hosts Angela Huttner and Oana Sandulescu welcome special guest and leading hepatitis expert, Professor Mojca Matičič, MD, PhD (Ljubljana, Slovenia), to refresh your knowledge on the pathogenesis of hepatitis B & C infections, review the latest direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapies, map out some countries’ successful elimination initiatives, and understand challenges remaining for others.

In recognition of World Hepatitis Day this Sunday, 28 July, a day dedicated to raising awareness about viral hepatitis, we are releasing our latest episode a few days early. The World Hepatitis Day theme this year is: it’s time for action! The Communicable team urges our listeners to inform themselves and others, and to test, treat, and vaccinate against viral hepatitis.

This episode was peer reviewed by Dr. Liem Luong of CIC Cochin Pasteur, Hôpital Cochin-Port Royal, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France.

Literature

World Hepatitis Day 2024: It’s time for action. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2024. https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-hepatitis-day/2024

“WHO sounds alarm on viral hepatitis infections claiming 3500 lives each day.” Geneva: World Health Organization; 9 April 2024. https://www.who.int/news/item/09-04-2024-who-sounds-alarm-on-viral-hepatitis-infections-claiming-3500-lives-each-day

Global hepatitis report 2024: action for access in low- and middle-income countries. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2024. doi: 10.2471/B09024.

The European Association of the Study of the Liver (EASL). EASL Congress Milan, Italy 5-8 June 2024. https://www.easlcongress.eu/

ESCMID. Cutting Edge Insights into Viral Hepatitis: Recent Scientific Breakthroughs and Clinical Updates. Lund, Sweden 13-14 June 2024. https://www.escmid.org/event-detail/cutting-edge-insights-into-viral-hepatitis-recent-scientific-breakthroughs-and-clinical-updates/

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). ECDC Evidence brief: Prevention of hepatitis B and C in the EU/EEA. Stockholm: ECDC; 2024.

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Hepatitis C. In: ECDC. Annual epidemiological report for 2022. Stockholm: ECDC; 2024.

Burnet Institute and Kirby Institute. Australia’s progress towards hepatitis C elimination: annual report 2022. Melbourne: Burnet Institute; 2022.

Maticic M, Pirnat Z, Leicht A, et al. The civil society monitoring of hepatitis C response related to the WHO 2030 elimination goals in 35 European countries. Harm Reduct J. 2020 Nov 19;17(1):89. doi: 10.1186/s12954-020-00439-3