Last year Moldova saw 2,807 cases of viral hepatitis, including 55 (1.96%) cases of acute forms and 2,752 (98.04%) cases of chronic forms. 99.3% of cases were viral hepatitis B, C and D, 0.1% each – viral hepatitis A and E, and 0.5% other types of viral hepatitis. The information was presented by the National Agency for Public Health in the context of World Hepatitis Day on July 28.
Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver, most commonly caused by a viral infection. There are five main hepatitis viruses, called types A, B, C, D and E. In Moldova, testing is available for the early detection of patients with specific laboratory diagnosis.
This year, World Hepatitis Day is being held under the theme “It’s time for action”, and the event highlights the need for collaboration to expand access to diagnosis and treatment.
Viral hepatitis is a communicable disease that is getting increasingly fatal. About 1.3 million people died from viral hepatitis in 2022, similar to the number of deaths from tuberculosis.
According to the WHO, the estimated number of deaths due to viral hepatitis increased from 1.1 million in 2019 to 1.3 million in 2022. Hepatitis B caused 83% of these deaths, and hepatitis C was responsible for 17%. Only 1 in 2 people living with hepatitis C has been diagnosed and only 1 in 6 has been cured.
