Good morning experts, colleagues, associates and partners,
I am pleased to address you today on World Liver Day, celebrated globally on the 19th April to raise awareness about the importance of liver health.
Liver disease is surprisingly common in most of Asia. In some countries, up to 1 in 3 adults are living with some type of liver disease. Many liver disease do not show obvious symptoms right away.
Common causes of liver disease, besides viral hepatitis B and C, include an unhealthy diet, being overweight, excessive use of alcohol, and some autoimmune diseases.
The good news is, if detected early enough, many types of liver disease can be prevented or reversed.
This is what everyone can do to ensure good liver health: eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly, use alcohol responsibly, and ask your doctor for a hepatitis B and C blood test.
Our event today is a very good follow up of the World Hepatitis Summit 2024, just last week in Lisbon, Portugal.
There are more than 300 million people living with hepatitis B and C around the world. Half of them are in the prime of their lives - between 30 to 54 years old. Alarmingly, the majority are unaware of their infection status. Some 12% are children.
Both hepatitis B and C are the main causes of liver cirrhosis and cancer. Earlier testing and treatment will prevent the progression of disease, and reduce the risk of cancer.
In our South-East Asia Region, we bear about a quarter of the total global burden of viral hepatitis infections. The number of people who get tested are low, and only 1 in 5 know their hepatitis C status. Also, only 1 in 7 have had themselves treated and cured.
The good news is that there is a cure for hepatitis C – just 3 months of oral drugs would cure this infection. An effective vaccine to prevent hepatitis B is also available, and for those who are infected, there is treatment to help manage the virus.
Universal free childhood immunization is the mainstay of preventing new infections, complemented with additional interventions for infected women and their infants.
Our region will still need to put in more effort for all babies to get their first dose within 24 hours of birth. This timely first dose is critical to protect our next generation.
Triple elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B is one of the greatest paradigm shift in public health. Antiretroviral drugs for HIV and syphilis are effective in preventing vertical transmission to the infant.
In 2016, Thailand was the first country in Asia that was validated to have achieved elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and Syphilis. Maldives and Sri Lanka followed in 2019.
We are now working on moving from control, to elimination of mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B - effectively, the Triple Elimination.
We have 6 years left for SDG2030, and we have a clear aims.
We have highly effective tools to get us all to successfully achieve our ambitious goals.
But to get there, we need commitment from the highest levels, and actions at every level. Only then will we deliver on the promise of better health, and elimination of disease.
I call on everyone to work towards better liver health, and towards elimination of viral hepatitis by 2030.
We must take bold action today, to ensure a better tomorrow for everyone.
Thank you.