YEREVAN, JULY 28, ARMENPRESS. On July 28 the World Hepatitis Day is being celebrated throughout the world. This year’s events are being held under “Recognize the hepatitis, act now” slogan, “Armenpress” was informed by the Armenian Healthcare Ministry. These events are aimed at ensuring access to information among the public, raising the issues identified in the international, regional and national levels.

Every year 1.4 million people die from viral hepatitis in the world. According to the data by the World Health Organization nearly 300 million people are infected with hepatitis B, and 170 million of them infected with hepatitis C. Every year nearly 350-500 thousand people die from hepatitis C complications. There is currently no vaccine for hepatitis C, however research in this area is ongoing.

The analysis of the viral hepatitis epidemic situation in Armenia reveals that nearly 50% of the Armenian people are infected with hepatitis A. Since 2008 hepatitis A disease reduced by 9 times, whereas that of hepatitis B by 1,8 times.

As for hepatitis C, currently the works for preventing the viral hepatitis C are being carried out based on the common approaches of the fight against infectious diseases, the control and prevention of hospital infections.

Attaching an importance to this issue, the Armenian Healthcare Ministry invested “Viral hepatitis control and prevention targeted program for 2015-2020 in the Republic of Armenia”, within the framework of which inter-departmental commissions coordinating the process aimed at preventing the hepatitis have been created in all provinces of Armenia and in Yerevan. Numerous projects and events are being held aimed at improving the epidemic situation in Armenia, the laboratory controls, and the information base.