The Council presents its innovative strategic plan to eradicate viral hepatitis in Andalusia by 2030.

The Minister of Health and Consumer Affairs explains this operational plan to improve the fight against these diseases.
Andalusia, 10/02/2024

The Council presents its innovative strategic plan to eradicate viral hepatitis in Andalusia by 2030.

The Minister of Health and Consumer Affairs, Rocío Hernández, presented today the Andalusian Strategic Plan against Viral Hepatitis 2024-2030 (PEAHEP), approved by the Government Council last July, at a professional conference held in Seville. This is an operational action plan to improve the treatment of viral hepatitis in a community where 621 new cases of viral hepatitis were recorded in 2023.

Hernandez emphasized that “this plan is innovative in Spain, since it will be the first and only one in which all viral hepatitis (HAV, HBV, HCV, HDV and HEV) will be included in the same strategy”, which is in line with the goals of the World Organization Health Organization (WHO) to eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030.

This year, according to WHO, more than 254 million people worldwide are infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and 50 million with hepatitis C virus (HCV). The WHO’s goal is to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030, which includes a 90% reduction in new infections and a 65% reduction in deaths.

To address this public health problem, PEAHEP arises in response to the high prevalence and burden of disease, although “it is estimated that a large proportion of the Andalusian population is unaware of their infection, contributing to ongoing transmission and progression. “The disease is entering a more serious stage,” said Jorge del Diego, director general of the Office of Public Health and Pharmaceutical Regulation.

Likewise, the introduction of new treatment and prevention methods has significantly improved the treatment of viral hepatitis. Direct acting antivirals (DAAs) for hepatitis C, vaccines for hepatitis A and B, and prevention strategies for hepatitis E and D have been shown to be highly effective. These treatments and preventative measures not only improve individual health, but also significantly reduce the risk of transmission by eliminating active infection in treated patients and preventing new infections.

In 2023, 621 cases of viral hepatitis were reported in Andalusia: 72 of hepatitis A; 79 hepatitis B; 393 from hepatitis C and 77 from other viral hepatitis. Of the total number of infections, 443 were in men, accounting for 71.3% of the total, and 178 in women, accounting for 28.66%. By age, the largest number of infections occurs in the age group from 45 to 65 years for all types of viral hepatitis among men – 251 cases (56.65% of the total number of cases in men); in women it varies depending on the type, while hepatitis A infection was recorded to a greater extent among persons under the age of 14 years (11 cases in total), and the rest were also concentrated in the group from 45 to 65 years. (six from hepatitis B, 54 from C and 17 from the rest).

The incidence of hepatitis A in Andalusia is 8.4 per 100,000 inhabitants; hepatitis B – 9.2 per 100,000 inhabitants; The incidence rate of hepatitis C is 45.8 per 100,000 inhabitants, and for other viral hepatitis – 9 per 100,000 inhabitants.