Forecasts: in 10 years, mortality from hepatitis C will increase by 2 times

Viral hepatitis has become a real challenge to humanity. By the rate of growth and the scale of the spread in the world, the incidence of viral hepatitis far exceeds AIDS and even influenza and ARVI.

According to WHO, about 180 million of the world's population (about 3%) have a chronic HCV viral infection, another 400 million live with hepatitis B, while HIV / AIDS patients - 40 million. And if you take into account that not all cases are registered diseases due to the latent form of the course of hepatitis C, one can speak of a pandemic of viral hepatitis. Its consequences are catastrophic: every year from 500-700 thousand people die from hepatitis B, and 350 000 57% of cases of hepatic cirrhosis and 78% of cases of primary liver cancer are caused by hepatitis B or C. Forecasts specialists are no less pessimistic: in 10-20 years the death rate from hepatitis C will increase by 2 times and will far exceed the death rate from HIV infection. This problem will become a major public health problem. But the most terrible thing is that the growth in the number of patients with CVH all over the world occurs at the expense of young people aged 15 to 35 years.

High-risk area

The epidemic of parenteral viral hepatitis in Ukraine has its own characteristics. "Affectionate killer" is masked not only in the body of patients, but in official statistics, until June 2009 recorded only acute forms of HS and HS. Now the situation has changed, but the official account of patients is only a mini-copy of the real situation in the country. After all, a test for viral hepatitis C is not yet mandatory. But even the stingy statistics are alarming - for example, Ukraine has a fairly high incidence of hepatitis B (7.03 per 100,000 population) - for comparison, in the US and EU countries, these rates do not exceed 1, 0 - 3.0 per 100 thousand people. And since 5 to 6 jaundicees are registered on 1 registered form of hepatitis B, experts predict that more than 1 million carriers of hepatitis B virus live in our country. Vaccination of children against hepatitis B began in Ukraine since 2006, therefore all those born before - at sight this virus. Not to mention the fact that before hepatitis C we are generally powerless because of the lack of vaccines. This is especially true for groups at risk - medical workers, special service workers, gastroenterological patients, etc .. And given the lack of public awareness on the spread of hepatitis viruses, every citizen of Ukraine is at risk.

When silence is not gold

Another national peculiarity of the problem of viral hepatitis was that the first to actively discuss it with public organizations. It was they who "awakened" the society, and then the government, which finally supported the initiative to develop the Concept of the corresponding target program. This initiative was first voiced by the activists of the SBI "Stop Hepatitis", and with their direct involvement, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine developed the State Targeted Social Program for the Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Viral Hepatitis for the Period until 2016. The program has been far-sighted and comprehensive. The only thing that she did not have is the points of material support. The Ministry of Health of Ukraine made an application to ensure that in the 2012 State Budget funds were allocated to fight hepatitis, but they were never allocated. Therefore, the onset of a hidden epidemic in Ukraine continues. What we put on the other side of the barricades? Limited capacity of medical institutions in carrying out virological studies or even less ability of our compatriots to buy expensive antiviral drugs for the treatment of chronic viral hepatitis?

The first steps are not enough

The Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on health issues has received numerous appeals of citizens, collectives, regional councils, non-governmental organizations over the past 5 years on the difficult situation in Ukraine with the incidence of viral hepatitis. In response to each of these appeals, response measures were taken. The problem of viral hepatitis becomes an important medical and social problem, the significance of which is due, in particular, to the high frequency of chronic infection with the often latent flow of acute forms of the disease. Viral hepatitis B and C lead to the development of hepatic insufficiency, cirrhosis and liver cancer. The wide spread of chronic hepatitis among the population, in particular, hepatitis C, can have catastrophic consequences.

This problem can only be solved in a comprehensive way, by developing and adopting the corresponding State Program on real budgetary content. Unfortunately, the Program for Counteracting Viral Hepatitis in Ukraine is not available. The measures envisaged by the Concept "On endorsement of the Concept of the State Targeted Social Program for the Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Viral Hepatitis for the Period until 2016", approved by the Cabinet of Ministers on March 9, 2011 under No. 206, have not been implemented. In particular, the Cabinet of Ministers instructed the Ministry of Health of Ukraine together with the interested central executive authorities to submit a draft of the State Targeted Social Program for the Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Viral Hepatitis for the period up to 2016 within a three-month period. That is, in June-July 2011 the government must approve the said Program. In addition, the adoption of this Program would allow the regions of Ukraine to develop and approve the relevant regional programs on the ground and to raise funds from local budgets to resolve an important issue. Unfortunately, according to the current legislation, without the appropriate program approved by the government or the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on combating viral hepatitis, it is impossible to provide for this in the state budget of Ukraine.

In 2011, the State Budget of Ukraine provided 4 million UAH for the purchase of medicines for the treatment of children with chronic viral hepatitis - in fact, of this amount, only 1 337 thousand 700 UAH were spent. The Law of Ukraine "On the State Budget of Ukraine for 2012" of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine for this event provides funds in the amount of 8 million UAH.

Waiting for change

The theme of viral hepatitis in Ukraine has been heard for several years. Since the development of the State Program to Combat These Diseases and the approval of the Concept, the case has progressed rather quickly. But at the decision-making stage, the purpose of which is real help to our fellow citizens, everything has stopped.

It seems that officials do not want to hear and talk about the problems associated with viral hepatitis. Of course, they can talk about these problems, but to work out a solution, on which the life of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian people depends, - no!

It is not clear why officials are not aware of the catastrophic consequences of inactivity regarding viral hepatitis. These consequences will have to be overcome very soon, although even from the economic point of view it is much cheaper to prevent than to fight them. It's time to realize this and allocate funds for the treatment of patients! Therefore, the formal part of the process called "The State Program for Counteracting Viral Hepatitis" has been completed. Now we need to be approved by the Minister of Health of Ukraine and we are waiting for the positive decision of alternative deputies of Ukraine regarding its financing. However, these are not such large expenses on the scale of the state.