Cipla Limited, a global pharmaceutical company, conducted a series of events to mark the World Hepatitis Day on July 28th. ACT-C (awareness, counselling and treatment of Hepatitis C), a public service initiative of Cipla supported by Cipla Foundation took the message of “NOhep” to people on World Hepatitis Day. NOhep is a global movement of World Hepatitis Alliance that calls for people across the world to sign up for the initiative and take action to eliminate hepatitis by 2030.

Viral hepatitis, an inflammation of the liver due to a virus, is the 7th leading cause of death globally, accounting for 1.4 million deaths per year – more than HIV/AIDS or malaria. The most common of the viruses are hepatitis B and C, which affect up to 400 million worldwide and cause 80 per cent of liver cancer deaths worldwide. Hepatitis infection is a significant health issue, every year, over one lakh people in India are afflicted by hepatitis C, with an estimated 1 in every 100 people infected by the hepatitis c virus (HCV). People with chronic hepatitis C can live for decades without the symptoms or feeling sick and do not know that they are infected. When symptoms do appear, they often are a sign of advanced liver disease.

To create awareness and sensitize people on the need of screening for hepatitis, Cipla Foundation has been galvanizing doctors, hospitals, voluntary and non-government organisations (NGOs), and other stakeholders to come together for joint action.

ACT-C and Cipla Foundation organised various events to spread awareness on hepatitis.

ACT-C Yatra — Cipla Foundation flagged off a bus yatra from Ludhiana earlier this month to inform doctors and motivate patients to come forward to seek treatment. The bus has been traveling across 17 districts in Punjab, covering 200 villages and reaching 10,000 people so far.

The ACT-C Yatra is a one-of-its-kind initiative undertaken by Cipla Foundation, to raise grass-root awareness about hepatitis, influence real change in disease diagnosis and prevention through educational initiatives. Northern parts of the country especially Punjab fall under high prevalence areas for hepatitis C. Experts say that high prevalence areas need urgent attention and awareness pertaining to new medicines and treatments to check this ‘Silent killer.’ A recent study conducted in 10 districts of Punjab suggested that prevalence of hepatitis C is 3.29 per cent (anti-HCV positive).

NGO Partner meet - to galvanize joint action and reach vulnerable groups, Cipla Foundation had organized an awareness workshop for its NGO partners on July 27th in Mumbai. Attended by leading NGOS like MSF, HelpageIndia, Ummeed Foundation, Swasth Foundation and SNEHA among others, the NGO representatives learnt about hepatitis from leading doctors in the field and discussed the role their organization can play in combatting this epidemic. The existing networks of NGOs in the field and their relationships with the communities put them in a unique position to spread the message of hepatitis prevention and treatment to the ‘hard to reach sections’ of the society.

Awareness and Free Testing Drives — to empower people with information and give them access to testing, Cipla Foundation is running awareness drives for employees of Sodexo servicing Cipla offices in Mumbai. Over 500 Sodexo employees were given free hepatitis testing coupons. In addition, Cipla Foundation is working with BEST to run similar free diagnosis drives for 5000 BEST employees.

Rumana Hamied, head, Cipla Foundation said, “Building awareness is critical to tackling the hepatitis crisis and Cipla Foundation is spreading the message of prevention and treatment. With the ACT-C Yatra across Punjab, awareness sessions for our NGO partners to galvanize joint action and free hepatitis testing drives for Sodexo and BEST employees in Mumbai, we are building momentum behind the global movement to eliminate hepatitis by 2030.”

Human C Formation — on 28th of July, World Hepatitis Day, Cipla employees came together to form a human ‘C’ making a bold statement to eliminate hepatitis C.

NOhep’s fundamental objective is to create awareness about viral hepatitis and the role people can play, in their own lives, at more structural levels and in their communities, to help eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030. With World Health Organization (WHO) adopting the Viral Hepatitis Strategy and the commitment of 194 governments to eliminate viral hepatitis, elimination of viral hepatitis can be a reality. By 2030, NOhep hopes to bring people together to save 7.1 million lives, by raising global awareness of hepatitis, helping those affected by hepatitis to speak up and by pressing governments to scale up resources to meet the targets outlined in the strategy.