The World Health Organization (WHO) released a written statement prior to World Hepatitis Day, which will be observed around the world today. The organization called on every country for urgent action to curb hepatitis. Of the three types of hepatitis, this year WHO is mainly focusing on hepatitis B and C.

According to the statement, hepatitis B and C cause approximately 80 percent of liver cancer deaths and 1.4 million people lose their lives because of hepatitis. As WHO's statement indicates, each year approximately 2 million people get the hepatitis virus from unsafe injections. Thus, it is claimed that single-use syringes will prevent any hepatitis infection.

Hepatitis B, which is transmitted from an infected person to another via blood and bodily fluids, affects the liver and can cause certain chronic illnesses. Around the world, approximately 240 million people have hepatitis B. Hepatitis B, which causes cirrhosis and liver cancer, kills 780,000 people annually. According to WHO, all children should be vaccinated against hepatitis B within 24 hours of birth and three doses of vaccine can protect children for their entire lives.

Hepatitis B is most commonly seen in Sub-Saharan Africa and East Asia. According to the organization, approximately 150 million people have hepatitis C, which is transmitted through blood. The most common reasons for infection are the sharing of syringes among drug addicts and the use of unsterilized medical items multiple times. There is no vaccine for hepatitis C, which kills almost 500,000 people each year. Hepatitis A and E are transmitted from an infected person to another if the person consumes water or food items contaminated with an infected person's feces.