This World Hepatitis Day, with the theme “It’s Time for Action,” let’s turn our focus to underserved and often overlooked populations in the fight against this preventable disease, children and pregnant people.
While most associate hepatitis with adults, thousands of children contract various forms of the virus each year. These infections can range from mild and temporary to chronic, leading to serious liver damage later in life. Professor Giuseppe Indolfi, a member of Penta’s blood-borne viruses working group, PentaTr@ining faculty and a leading expert in the field, warns of the unequal fight against hepatitis. Research often prioritises adults, leaving children without access to the most effective diagnostic tools, treatments, and vaccines. This delay puts children at higher risk of chronic infection and its complications.
Children are especially susceptible to the long-term effects of hepatitis. Investing in research focused on developing child-friendly diagnostics, treatments, and preventative measures for hepatitis is crucial to keeping them safe and healthy. This includes creating age-appropriate testing methods that are easier for children to tolerate and developing drug formulations that are easy to administer. By developing improved methods to identify hepatitis in children, we can enable earlier intervention and treatment, potentially preventing the development of chronic liver disease.
In the case of pregnant people with hepatitis, they can unknowingly transmit the virus to their babies during birth. To break this cycle of transmission, routine screening of all pregnant people for Hepatitis B is crucial. Early detection allows for proper treatment and interventions, such as vaccinations at birth which is the best way to protect children from this lifelong infection. Unfrotuanetly, according to the WHO, only 42% of newborns received the birth dose of the Hepatitis B vaccine in 2021. Ulitmately, by providing the necessary care to pregnant people with hepatitis, we can significantly reduce the risk of transmission to their babies.
By prioritising research for children and ensuring proper screening and treatment for pregnant people, we can break the cycle of hepatitis transmission and create a healthier future for generations to come. Join us in lending our voice to ensure “It’s Time for Action” translates into a world free from hepatitis for all, especially for children and pregnant people.
Thank you to Professor Indolfi for providing the insight that helped to shape this article.