web_banner_englishWorld Hepatitis Day – July 28th, 2015 was marked as a part of the global campaign conducted by World Health Organization (WHO) with the aim of raising the awareness (general and professional) about disease spreading, measures of prevention and possibility of being cured. Global campaign also emphasized the importance of timely detection and treatment of hepatitis. On that occasion, medical personnel of the Clinic of Infectious Diseases of the University Hospital Clinical Centre Banja Luka organized costless, voluntary and anonymous testing for hepatitides. Accordingly, they marked July 28th   – World Hepatitis Day.

All interested citizens had the opportunity to be provided with costless testing and counselling in the Counselling Centre of the Clinic of Infectious Diseases (Paprikovac location) in the period from July 27th to July 31st, from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. In the above-mentioned period 152 clients were tested among whom 64 men and 88 women. There were no clients tested positive for HIV and hepatitis C. Three clients were tested positive for HBsAg via rapid tests, so it was suggested to them to perform official hepatitis B markers.

Testing of health care workers is of exceptional significance, because they belong to risk group due to everyday contact with patients for whom there is no information whether they are positive or not ( in the case of needlestick injuries and etc.). If health care workers are tested and the result is negative, vaccination is recommended. This represents an additional protection for healthcare professionals in the everyday activities. All healthcare workers that were tested during this year’s action, after counselling in the Clinic of Infectious Diseases, firmly promised that they would be additionally protected and vaccinated. It is also regulated by Rule Book on Immunization and Chemoprophylaxis for the Prevention of Infectious Diseases issued on the basis of Law on Protection of Population against Infectious Diseases.

The theme for this year’s World Hepatitis Day was “Prevent hepatitis. Act now”. World Health Organization suggested drawing up the strategy i.e. action plan for viral hepatitides for the period 2016-2021 in all countries, with the aim of reducing the number of people suffering from this disease.

The action achieved a goal. The attention was drawn to:

  • The fact that most people suffering from these chronic viral infections do not even know that they are infected, because there are no symptoms for a long time,
  • The significance of early diagnosis and treatment of disease under monitoring of infectologist, since in this way development of disease is stopped and infectivity is reduced,
  • The importance of preventive activities, because modes of transmission are clearly defined as well as modes of prevention. An old rule is still relevant  – prevention is significantly cheaper than treatment,
  • Stigma and discrimination of people suffering from this disease. They are results of insufficient knowledge and benightedness (i.e. being uninformed on the fact that these diseases are not transmitted by usual social contact).