“Elimination of Hepatitis by 2030”: Present Realities and Future Projections

Abstract

Abstract Each year, viral hepatitis and its complications affect millions of patients and cause one-and-a-half million deaths. To deal with this immense public health burden, international organizations have, as part of their sustainable development goals, set up the plan “Elimination of Hepatitis by 2030,” which has been ratified by most countries. The plan's aims include the prevention of different hepatitis viruses and the treatment of existing patients. However, a mid-term analysis revealed that lest novel maneuvers are adopted, some of the plan's objectives may not be attained. While new infections seem to be contained by vaccines and other public health measures, the persistent reservoir of chronic hepatitis viruses –hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) – may not be properly addressed. Although antiviral therapy against chronic HCV infection is promising, chronic-HBV-infected persons may not be properly handled. There are about 296 million chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients in the world, and only 10% of them are aware of their infection. Thus, the undetected CHB patients should be found, and a proper approach should be devised to address this issue, especially in developing countries that harbor the main bulk of CHB patients. In addition, there is no finite therapy for CHB patients, and the safety and efficacy of the existing drugs are also questionable. This indicates the need for novel drugs for CHB patients. In light of this, this study aimed to offer measures that could discover the millions of undetected patients and address the need for developing innovative drugs for CHB patients and thus substantiate the “Elimination of Hepatitis by 2030” plan.