UNODC Executive Director calls for prevention, fair access to treatment on World Hepatitis Day

The Executive Director of UNODC, Yury Fedotov, speaking ahead of World Hepatitis Day on 28 July, stressed that viral hepatitis remains a serious health problem worldwide, and urged authorities to ensure that all victims, including injecting drug users and prisoners, get the care and treatment they need:

"Hepatitis represents a major global health risk. Hepatitis C can lead to liver diseases such as cirrhosis and cancer, and infection is widespread among injecting drug users, with UNODC's 2013 World Drug Report estimating global prevalence of hepatitis C among people who inject drugs at 51 per cent. Hepatitis infection in prison populations is also many, many times higher than in the general population. The majority of people detained will return to their communities, some within months.

"However, many of those infected with hepatitis are unaware, and therefore may go undiagnosed and untreated, posing a risk of transmission to their families, coworkers and neighbours. We must further strengthen prevention efforts if we are to stop the spread of this threat to public health.

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