Hepatitis now rivals tuberculosis as a top infectious killer disease with a new World Health Organisation report showing the virus claims about 3,500 lives every day.
Testing and treatment coverage rates have stalled around the world, putting at risk ambitious WHO goals to eliminate hepatitis by the end of the decade.
Data from 187 nations, revealed in the 2024 Global Hepatitis Report, showed the number of deaths linked to the virus increased from 1.1 million in 2019 to 1.3 million in 2022 – the same number as tuberculosis.
Hepatitis B remains the majority killer, claiming 83 per cent of lives, while hepatitis C was responsible for the other deaths.
WHO director general Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus said the report highlighted failings in health authorities diagnosing the virus.
“This report paints a troubling picture: despite progress globally in preventing hepatitis infections, deaths are rising because far too few people with hepatitis are being diagnosed and treated,” he said.
“WHO is committed to supporting countries to use all the tools at their disposal – at access prices – to save lives and turn this trend around.
“Despite the availability of powerful tools at low prices, many countries are not using them at sufficient scale.”
Multiple variants
It is hoped these measures can be implemented into primary care more widely with more locally produced medications to bring the numbers down.
There are five hepatitis viruses – A, B, C, D and E.
Unlike hepatitis B and C, the less severe hepatitis A does not cause chronic liver disease and is often picked up from dirty water or contaminated food.
People are infected with the more serious hepatitis B and C through exposure, either during invasive medical or dental procedures using contaminated equipment, or more commonly after being in contact with a carrier of the virus through sexual contact or by sharing drug syringes.
Despite progress globally in preventing hepatitis infections, deaths are rising because far too few people with hepatitis are being diagnosed and treated
Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus
Both types of the virus cause liver inflammation, with symptoms usually appearing any time from two weeks to six months after contact.
They include joint pain and fatigue, loss of appetite, fever, nausea and vomiting, dark urine and jaundice.
While there is no vaccine for hepatitis C, hepatitis A and B are preventable by vaccine.
Waning childhood immunisation programmes are also impacting the numbers dying from the virus, the WHO said.
Anyone testing positive for hepatitis B – HBsAg – will be denied a work permit in the UAE, or deported if already a resident.
“Hepatitis B seems less common in the UAE compared to its neighbours,” Dr Swati Prasad, specialist in internal medicine at Aster Royal Clinic, said.
“A recent study (BMC Infectious Diseases) suggests a 3.05 per cent infection rate across the GCC region, while the UAE appears to have a lower range of 0.8 per cent to 1.5 per cent.
“This is likely due to successful vaccination programmes. However, this number may be higher among older adults who weren't vaccinated as children.”
Figures suggest that in 2022, 254 million people had hepatitis B worldwide, while a further 50 million had hepatitis C.
Around half the chronic infections are among those aged 30-54, with men accounting for 58 per cent of all cases.
While deaths from the virus are increasing, the number of infections fell from 2.5 million in 2019, to 2.2 million in 2022.
Poor diagnosis
Although this decrease could be a result of poorer diagnosis and reporting, better preventative measures such as immunisation are also taking effect.
The latest figures have been gleaned from national prevalence surveys, and suggest every day more than 6,000 people are being newly infected with viral hepatitis.
Viral burden varies greatly between regions. Africa, where just 18 per cent of babies receive the vaccination at birth, bears the brunt of cases, reporting 63 per cent of new hepatitis B infections.
The most deaths, however, are recorded in the Western Pacific Region – 47 per cent.
Almost two thirds of the global burden of hepatitis B and C is focused in a band of 10 key nations.
These are Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia and Vietnam.
Funding remains a key barrier to protection, with just 60 per cent of reporting nations offering free testing and treatment services.
A 12-week course of antiviral drugs, such as pangenotypic sofosbuvir/daclatasvir, to treat hepatitis C costs around $60, while tenofovir to treat the B virus costs $2.40 a month and is often needed for more than a year.
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Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
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Crazy Rich Asians
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeon, Gemma Chan
Four stars
PSG's line up
GK: Alphonse Areola (youth academy)
Defence - RB: Dani Alves (free transfer); CB: Marquinhos (€31.4 million); CB: Thiago Silva (€42m); LB: Layvin Kurzawa (€23m)
Midfield - Angel di Maria (€47m); Adrien Rabiot (youth academy); Marco Verratti (€12m)
Forwards - Neymar (€222m); Edinson Cavani (€63m); Kylian Mbappe (initial: loan; to buy: €180m)
Total cost: €440.4m (€620.4m if Mbappe makes permanent move)
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Things Heard & Seen
Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, James Norton
2/5
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
MATCH INFO
France 3
Umtiti (8'), Griezmann (29' pen), Dembele (63')
Italy 1
Bonucci (36')
Iraq negotiating over Iran sanctions impact
- US sanctions on Iran’s energy industry and exports took effect on Monday, November 5.
- Washington issued formal waivers to eight buyers of Iranian oil, allowing them to continue limited imports. Iraq did not receive a waiver.
- Iraq’s government is cooperating with the US to contain Iranian influence in the country, and increased Iraqi oil production is helping to make up for Iranian crude that sanctions are blocking from markets, US officials say.
- Iraq, the second-biggest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, pumped last month at a record 4.78 million barrels a day, former Oil Minister Jabbar Al-Luaibi said on Oct. 20. Iraq exported 3.83 million barrels a day last month, according to tanker tracking and data from port agents.
- Iraq has been working to restore production at its northern Kirkuk oil field. Kirkuk could add 200,000 barrels a day of oil to Iraq’s total output, Hook said.
- The country stopped trucking Kirkuk oil to Iran about three weeks ago, in line with U.S. sanctions, according to four people with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be identified because they aren’t allowed to speak to media.
- Oil exports from Iran, OPEC’s third-largest supplier, have slumped since President Donald Trump announced in May that he’d reimpose sanctions. Iran shipped about 1.76 million barrels a day in October out of 3.42 million in total production, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
- Benchmark Brent crude fell 47 cents to $72.70 a barrel in London trading at 7:26 a.m. local time. U.S. West Texas Intermediate was 25 cents lower at $62.85 a barrel in New York. WTI held near the lowest level in seven months as concerns of a tightening market eased after the U.S. granted its waivers to buyers of Iranian crude.
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Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Brief scores:
Toss: Kerala Knights, opted to fielf
Pakhtoons 109-5 (10 ov)
Fletcher 32; Lamichhane 3-17
Kerala Knights 110-2 (7.5 ov)
Morgan 46 not out, Stirling 40
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
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What is Bitcoin?
Bitcoin is the most popular virtual currency in the world. It was created in 2009 as a new way of paying for things that would not be subject to central banks that are capable of devaluing currency. A Bitcoin itself is essentially a line of computer code. It's signed digitally when it goes from one owner to another. There are sustainability concerns around the cryptocurrency, which stem from the process of "mining" that is central to its existence.
The "miners" use computers to make complex calculations that verify transactions in Bitcoin. This uses a tremendous amount of energy via computers and server farms all over the world, which has given rise to concerns about the amount of fossil fuel-dependent electricity used to power the computers.
