The third WHS was held as a predominately virtual event in 2022, with a small in-person hub at the World Health Organization in Geneva, with the theme of “Achieving the elimination of viral hepatitis within evolving health systems”. The programme introduced the new Global Health Sector Strategy (2022-2030) and explored topics across the cascade of care for hepatitis A, B, C, D and E, including barriers such as stigma and discrimination and innovations, like the potential for a functional cure for hepatitis B.
The summit had a broad reach, with over 750 delegates from 120 countries, including 28 Ministries of Health. Delegates had the opportunity to hear from 218 speakers from 63 countries, including WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Helen Clark, the former Prime Minister of New Zealand and Daniel Ngamije, the Rwanda Minister of Health.
The summit had over 41 million social media impressions and proved to have a huge impact, with 92% of delegates finding the conference had a benefit to them or their organisation.
Theme:
“Achieving the elimination of viral hepatitis within evolving health systems”
2022 Statement:
Countries made a historic commitment to eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030 at the 2016 World Health Assembly.
Since then, the Sustainable Development Goals 2020 target of reducing the prevalence of hepatitis B in children under 5 has been met and the number of people receiving treatment for hepatitis C has increased 10-fold.
However, these gains have been uneven across the world, with those most impacted least likely to benefit, and most countries failed to meet the 2020 targets. Few have timely access to birth dose in many low- and middle-income countries, with less than 10% of babies in Africa receiving a timely HBV birth dose vaccine. Stigma and discrimination continue to be a barrier to testing and care; and globally more than 350 million people are still living with this life-threatening disease.
The participants of the third World Hepatitis Summit believe that the new Global Health Sector Strategy (GHSS) for HIV, viral hepatitis and STIs, 2022-2030, provides an opportunity to refocus the global community, accelerate the response and recommit to the elimination of viral hepatitis by 2030. To make the elimination of hepatitis a reality within evolving health systems, we call on countries to adopt the integrated and person-centred approach set out in the GHSS. We ask that multisectoral action is taken to drive hepatitis elimination with civil society and the affected community an integral partner in the process. We urge countries to act now to achieve the 2025 and 2030 targets by developing and implementing national hepatitis strategies which address the five strategic directions of the GHSS and put people living with viral hepatitis at the heart of the response.
We call on countries, global health agencies and donors to commit to prioritise and fund comprehensive hepatitis programmes so that everyone, everywhere, has access to affordable prevention, testing, treatment and care.
Hepatitis Can’t Wait!
“A forum to meet, deliberate on, and be inspired to work harder toward hepatitis elimination.”
“It is an important event to understand the global effort in eliminating viral hepatitis as a public health threat and provide an opportunity to make connection with people in various community organisations.”
“An excellent opportunity to get up to date, and to generate commitments from the countries. It commits governments to engage and work with civil society.”
“This summit has widened my vision for the work that needs to be done not just worldwide, but locally.”
“The summit set a new pace for hepatitis elimination by 2030.”
“The summit had a comprehensive approach and all sectors were very well represented.”
World Hepatitis Summit 2022 – Programme Committee Members
Mr Danjuma Adda, President, World Hepatitis Alliance and & Executive Director, Center for Initiative and Development (CFID) and Chagro-Care Trust (CCT), Nigeria
Mrs Po-Lin Chan, Team Lead, Communicable Diseases, WHO India country office
Dr Meg Doherty, Director Global HIV, Hepatitis and STI Programmes, WHO
Professor Manal El-Sayed, Professor of Paediatrics, Ain Shams University, Egypt
Professor Margaret Hellard, Head, Centre for Population Health, Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health, Australia
Ms Jennifer Johnston, Executive Director, CEVHAP (Coalition to Eradicate Viral Hepatitis in Asia Pacific), Australia
Mr Giten Khwairakpam, Program Manager, amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research/ TREAT Asia, Thailand
Dr Funmi Lesi, Lead Team, Hepatitis-Cross Cutting, WHO
Mr Niklas Luhmann, Hepatitis Lead for Testing, prevention and populations, WHO
Dr Homie Razavi, Managing Director, Center for Disease Analysis Foundation, USA
Mr Sean Regan, Associate Director for Viral Hepatitis at Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), USA
Dr B.B Rewari, Scientist HIV/AIDS/STI/Hepatitis, WHO SEARO, India
Dr Su Wang, Chairperson, World Hepatitis Summit Programme Committee, Past President, World Hepatitis Alliance, Medical Director, Center for Asian Health & Viral Hepatitis Programs at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, USA
Dr John Ward, Director, Coalition for Global Hepatitis Elimination, The Task Force for Global Health, USA
1. To generate a cross-sectorial response to achieving hepatitis elimination, highlighting integration opportunities and pathways, by increasing innovation, collaboration and joint-working
2. To engage and motivate governments and, policymakers, health systems and global agencies to increase resources for programmes for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of viral hepatitis.
3. To highlight the importance of a people centered approach, with access to critical health services in a decentralized or demedicalized setting, and integration of health systems with communities as pivotal to elimination achievement.
4. To amplify and strengthen the voice of all stakeholders, especially patients, to drive action for hepatitis elimination.
5. Provide a platform for the communities disproportionately affected by viral hepatitis, to connect with decision makers and the wider community.
6. To accelerate the sharing of best practice of vanguard countries and programmes in regard to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of viral hepatitis to drive global change.
7. To identify how hepatitis elimination can be embedded in UHC programmes and across evolving health systems amidst COVID-19.
8. To empower governments by building knowledge and technical skills and exploring how disease specific responses can fit within wider UHC efforts to overcome barriers to reach the 2030 targets of eliminating viral hepatitis.
9. To recognise the achievements made to date, identify gaps in global, regional and national responses and explore opportunities for closing those gaps across the continuum of care, and specifically in regard to access to diagnostics and medications.
