World Hepatitis Day will be observed on Saturday (May 19) across the globe including Pakistan with an aim to raise awareness about hepatitis B&C and encourage prevention, diagnosis and treatment. Approximately 170 million people world-wide have either Hepatitis B or C, of which over 20 million people are suffering from A, B, C and E types of Hepatitis virus in the country.
If left untreated and unmanaged, Hepatitis B or C can lead to advance liver scarring (cirrhosis) and other complications including liver cancer or liver failure. Every year 1.5 million people die from either Hepatitis B or C. This year's theme is 'This is Hepatitis, It's closer than you think'.