| In accordance with recommendations from the “World Hepatitis Alliance”, in its fight against hepatitis; Kuwait is the first GCC country to come on board, adopting six out of 12 World Hepatitis Alliance recommendations (ASK’s). This announcement came during the Occupational Health Conference organized by the Kuwait Ministry of Health, in cooperation with the Executive Office of GCC Minister’s of Health and under the patronage of Dr Modi Al Hammoud, Kuwait Acting Minister of Health. The ‘National Alliance against Hepatitis C’ meeting was the first meeting to be held during the conference, in which several announcements regarding Kuwait’s strategies to combat hepatitis C were announced. The meeting, attended by over 100 local and regional specialists focused on the latest developments in hepatitis C diagnosis, management and treatment. The main objective of the meeting was to mark World Hepatitis Day on May 19, and to address hepatitis C as an urgent and growing public health problem. In this regard, international renowned speakers from the World Hepatitis Alliance (WHA), World Health Organization (WHO), and the J.W. Goethe University Hospital in Germany, were invited to exchange experiences and liaise with Kuwaiti Ministry of Health officials, Faculty of Medicine members and many other physicians and lab technicians. Dr Ahmad Al Shatti, Director of the Occupational Health Department, Ministry of Health in Kuwait commented, “We are very glad to have held this meeting. Our motives as a government entity are to provide care and protect our community’s wellbeing. Public education and awareness is the key combatant to hepatitis C in Kuwait.” Treatable
Shedding light on the management of hepatitis C Dr Fuad Al Ali, Dean of Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University said: “Contrary to widespread beliefs, hepatitis C is a treatable disease; if detected and treated at an early stage, the chances of a cure can reach up to 85%. The disease may not show any symptoms, however, everyone, especially those at risk, should ensure they undertake a blood test to rule out the possibility. He further added, “Developing a patient pathway for screening, diagnosis, referral and treatment will help not only reduce incidence and prevalence, but also reduce mortality.” Also commenting was Dr. Rashed Al Owaish, Director of Public Health Department, Ministry of Health in Kuwait, who presented the current national policy on hepatitis C control, “People are changing their perspectives on hepatitis C, they are starting to discuss it openly, which further verifies the importance of raising awareness of hepatitis C, in order to enable our public to protect themselves from this disease. Kuwait is at the forefront of this global campaign. I am also delighted to see this partnership between us and the World Hepatitis Alliance to improve disease awareness. This meeting is a very important step in our fight against hepatitis C here in Kuwait; our objectives are to improve the policies in place and to work on putting a road map together for the newly diagnosed patients and to improve our surveillance system.” Unfortunately hepatitis C does not always have clear symptoms; the disease may progress for many years and can eventually lead to other liver related diseases. Early diagnosis of the hepatitis C can enhance the probability of successful treatment. The disease, which is caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV), is often asymptomatic, and affects the liver. If untreated, hepatitis C can lead to cirrhosis, liver failure, and liver cancer. In all cases, the HCV is transmitted by blood contact and not through social contact such as, hand shakes. Dr Owaish said that according to the Kuwait Ministry of Health, the hepatitis C virus is found in 0.8 per cent of Kuwaiti nationals who have donated blood to the blood bank. Dr. Owaish also disclosed that approximately 0.5-0.8 per cent of employees aged between 20 - 30 years, that apply to work for the government based general medical council are found to suffer from hepatitis C. He continued to say that the majority of these cases are not even aware that they have the disease. Professor Stefan Zeuzem, Chief Department of Medicine at J.W. Goethe University Hospital, presented results of the ‘Burden of Disease Report’ which covered 22 European countries. During the presentation Prof. Zeuzem stressed the importance of setting the standard for screening, diagnosis and access to treatment. He continued to say “I really hope that as many countries as possible will start taking measures to put strategies in place for the control of hepatitis C in the region. Hepatitis C is potentially life threatening and there is no vaccine. With three to four million new cases each year worldwide, it is imperative that we take whatever steps are necessary to prevent infection in the first place. It is also important to ensure that the disease is diagnosed early so that patients have the best possible chance of fighting the condition.” Charles Gore, President of the World Hepatitis Alliance (WHA), was also present at the meeting and discussed their most recent strategies and tactics for raising awareness of hepatitis C and engaging governments worldwide. The World Hepatitis Alliance recently commemorated World Hepatitis Day with the ‘Am I Number 12?’ campaign which warns that 500 million people - 1 in 12 of the global population - are chronically infected with either the hepatitis B or C viruses (HBV/ HCV). In support of the Ministry of Health’s endeavor to improve the country’s health strategies, Faisal Al-Mutawa, CEO of Ali Abdulwahab Sons & Co., announced that they will donate a total of 250,000 Kuwaiti Dinars to local charity organizations for treatment of hepatitis C patients who could not afford treatment on their own. Global strategies to combat hepatitis C virus are more necessary than ever. Failure to diagnose and effectively treat viral hepatitis places a tremendous burden on healthcare systems across the world. This meeting created a platform to focus on solutions-because for many patients, hepatitis can be successfully treated. |
