Head Of U.N. Drug Office Calls For Stronger Prevention Efforts On World Hepatitis Day

“Marking World Hepatitis Day [on Sunday], the head of the United Nations drugs and crime agency … called for stronger prevention efforts to stop the spread of this major global health risk and urged authorities to ensure that all victims, including injecting drug users and prisoners, get the care and treatment they need,” the U.N. News Centre reports. “All people suffering from viral hepatitis deserve access to the same level of care and treatment available in the community. … If interventions are to be effective, they must be grounded in respect for the human rights and right to health of all sufferers,” Yury Fedotov, executive director of U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), said in a statement marking the day, according to the news service. “The World Health Assembly — the decision-making body of WHO — designated July 28 as World Hepatitis Day … to promote greater understanding of hepatitis as a global public health problem and to stimulate the strengthening of preventive and control measures against infection in countries throughout the world,” the news service notes (7/28). The Center for Global Health Policy’s “Science Speaks” blog reports on World Hepatitis Day, highlighting a journal supplement, a petition and two protests (7/26).

The KFF Daily Global Health Policy Report summarized news and information on global health policy from hundreds of sources, from May 2009 through December 2020. All summaries are archived and available via search.

KFF Headquarters: 185 Berry St., Suite 2000, San Francisco, CA 94107 | Phone 650-854-9400
Washington Offices and Barbara Jordan Conference Center: 1330 G Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005 | Phone 202-347-5270

www.kff.org | Email Alerts: kff.org/email | facebook.com/KFF | twitter.com/kff

The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news, KFF is a nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California.