22
WORLD GASTROENTEROLOGY NEWS SEPTEMBER 2019
Editorial | Expert Point of View | WCOG 2019 | WDHD News | WGO & WGOF News | WGO Global Guidelines | Calendar of Events
titis Day, 28 July, we call on people
from across the world to take action
and raise awareness to find the
“missing millions”.
View the World Hepatitis Day Film
at https://vimeo.com/332173101!
HOW CAN YOU CONTRIBUTE
TO THE GOAL OF ELIMINATING
HEPATITIS BY 2030?
World Hepatitis Day 2019
Campaign Toolkit
Download the World Hepatitis Day
2019 Campaign Toolkit, provided
by the World Hepatitis Alliance, to
find ideas on how you can participate
in the World Hepatitis Day 2019
Campaign http://www.worldhepatitisalliance.
org/world-hepatitis-day/
campaign-materials!
World Hepatitis Day 2019 on
Social Media
Use the following hashtags when posting
about hepatitis on social media!
• #WorldHepatitisDay
• #FindtheMissingMillions
• #NOhep
• #hepatitis
“Viral hepatitis and its consequences
(cirrhosis, liver failure, liver cancer,
death), have been ignored far too
long. Hepatitis B and C alone affect
over 1 in 12 of the world’s population
and cause more chronic disease and
death than HIV, TB or malaria. Both
hepatitis B and C are preventable
and hepatitis C can be cured. Several
countries have made it national policy
to completely eliminate hepatitis C,
including Georgia, Mongolia, Egypt,
Pakistan, Portugal and Australia. It is
time to unite and decide to eliminate
hepatitis C globally. But to accomplish
this, we must first identify the
over 70% of infected patients who
do not even know that they have
hepatitis C. I strongly support World
Hepatitis Day and the WHO initiative
to over the next three years “Find
the Missing Millions” as the first step
to achieving this goal.
At the same time we must not
forget hepatitis B which affects many
millions more and dedicate ourselves
to eliminating hepatitis B. We must
push for final true universal vaccination,
including the birth dose, with a
vaccine that has been available since
1982!
Then, like smallpox before it and
polio, now down to fewer than 100
new cases in only 2 countries worldwide,
hepatitis B can become part of
our ancient medical history.”
- Douglas R. LaBrecque, Past Chair,
WGO Hepatology Interest Group
WGO Training Centers
Since 2001, over 3,400 professionals
have received training through
the various educational programs
offered at the WGO Training Centers.
Located in developing countries
throughout the world, each WGO
Training Center provides trainees
with the opportunity to enhance their
skills and further their education in
gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy,
oncology, and GI surgery. Each
Center offers comprehensive training,
ranging from multi-day workshops on
special topics to four-year sub-specialty
internships that include theoretical
courses and practical applications
of techniques. The Training Centers
promulgate locally relevant knowledge
and develop appropriate skills among
medical practitioners and health care
workers from low-resource countries.
Visit www.worldgastroenterology.
org/education-and-training/trainingcenters/
centers to discover each of our
WGO Training Centers!
Attention WGO Training Centers!
Are you planning an activity for
World Hepatitis Day? Let us know
and be featured in an upcoming
issue of e-WGN! Email your event
summary and photos to us at info@
worldgastroenterology.org.
Supporting WGO Global Guidelines
and Cascades
The WGO Guidelines and Cascades
library contains over 20 practice
guidelines written from a global
standpoint and published for viewing
and download on the WGO website.
Cascade-based guidelines offer various
treatment options for diagnosis
and treatment depending on the
resources available in different parts of
the world. The six supporting WGO
Global Guidelines and Cascades
listed below are available in different
languages and focus on hepatitis and
related liver disease topic areas:
• Acute Viral Hepatitis
• Esophageal Varices
• Hepatitis B
• Hepatitis C
• Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC)
• NAFLD & Nash
“Worldwide viral hepatitis is one
of the leading causes of morbidity
and life lost. The WHO has set goals
to eliminate hepatitis B and C by
2030. To accomplish these goals, a
concerted effort from governments,
public health leaders and the public
(civil society) will be needed. Sources
of funding and experts to implement
vaccination of all infants starting
with a birth dose worldwide, to train
providers to diagnose, link persons
chronically infected with hepatitis B
and C to care and treatment will be
keys to achieving these goals. In addition,
public awareness regarding the
importance and seriousness of viral
hepatitis, the keys to prevent infection
through vaccination and other
preventive measures and the awareness