This is Andalusia’s innovative plan to eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030.

Andalusia will be better treatment of viral hepatitis in the locality, where 621 new cases were registered in 2023. This became known this Wednesday. Minister of Health and Consumer Affairs Rocio Hernandezcoincident with the presentation Andalusian strategic plan to combat viral hepatitis 2024-2030. (PEAHEP)which was approved by the Government Council last July at a conference held in Seville.

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” and it is in accordance with goals World Health Organization (WHO) eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030.

So from the consultation they remember that more than 254 million people infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and 50 million with hepatitis C virus (HCV), as evidenced by WHO data. The international organization’s goal is to eliminate these diseases by 2030: hepatitis B (HBV) and 50 million people caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV).

“It is estimated that a large proportion of the Andalusian population is unaware of their infection, which contributes to continuous transmission and progression of the disease to more serious stages.”

To fight in this direction, the Andalusian Plan emerges, which aims to respond to the high prevalence and burden of the disease, although “it is estimated that a large part of the Andalusian population is unaware of their infection, which contributes to the constant transmission of infection.” and progression of the disease towards more serious stages,” as noted Director General for Public Health and Pharmaceutical Regulation Jorge del Diego.

The effectiveness of the treatment also makes it possible to effectively treat these diseases. Direct acting antivirals (DAAs) Vaccines against hepatitis C and hepatitis B, as well as prevention strategies for hepatitis E and D, have proven to be highly effective, according to the consultation. All of them improved the health of victims and significantly reduced the risk of transmission of infection.

VIRAL HEPATITIS IN ANDALUSIA

The community discovered a total of 621 cases of viral hepatitis in 2023: 72 hepatitis A; 79 hepatitis B; 393 from hepatitis C and 77 from other viral hepatitis. Of these infections 443 confirmed in menwhich is 71.3% of the total, and 178 in womenwhich is 28.66%. The most affected age group is 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.

PLAN CONTAINING FIVE STRATEGIC LINES AND TWO SECURITY LINES

The Andalusian strategic plan to combat viral hepatitis 2024–2030 is organized in five strategic lines and two transverse lines. The first focus is on health promotion, seeking to improve the population’s ability to adopt healthy habits through health education. The second direction focuses on prevention and diagnosis, proposing to strengthen immunization of at-risk groups against hepatitis A and B, improve preventive education, and promote early diagnosis to stop transmission. The key goal is diagnose 90% of people with hepatitis C to reduce the number of new infections.

For its part, the third direction aims to protect consumers by reducing the risk of transmission of hepatitis A and E through contaminated food products, and the fourth direction facilitates access to antiviral treatment and monitoring of persons diagnosed with hepatitis B, C and D. One-step diagnostics will also be introduced for hepatitis C, and development of hepatitis B and D is currently underway. The fifth direction is aimed at strengthening epidemiological surveillance to improve case detection and control.

Two cross-cutting tracks focus on the training of healthcare professionals and research and innovation in the treatment of these diseases.