Las hepatitis virales, causa de enfermedad aguda o crónica del hígado, son un problema de salud pública a nivel mundial. De los cinco tipos de virus de hepatitis existentes (A, B, C, D y E), se estima que el virus de la hepatitis B y C (VHB y VHC) por si solos son responsables del 2,7% de muertes a nivel mundial.

This WHO Global hepatitis report describes, for the first time, the global and regional estimates on viral hepatitis in 2015, setting the baseline for tracking progress in implementing the new global strategy.

 Since the creation of the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) in 1977, the majority of PAHO Member States have considered immunization as a public good. Countries from the Region have also considered vaccination as a crucial component of preventive primary health care.

Viral hepatitis is a group of infectious diseases that affects hun- dreds of millions of people worldwide, causing serious illness and death from acute hepatitis infection, liver cancer and liver cirrhosis. Although there are effective tools and strategies for the prevention and treatment of hepatitis, low awareness of hepatitis has limited their impact.

To monitor and evaluate the Global Health Sector Strategy (GHSS) on viral hepatitis, the World Health Organization (WHO) proposes a monitoring and evaluation framework. This framework should facilitate collection and analysis of standardized data with a balance between the need to remain parsimonious and obtain the minimum information required.

 The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), through the PAHO’s Technical Advisory Group (TAG), recommend universal hepatitis B vaccination as a main strategy for control of hepatitis and its severe consequences.

In 2010 and 2014, World Health Assembly resolutions called for stronger surveillance of viral hepatitis. In response, the World Health Organization has developed these technical considerations to assist and guide Member States in implementing and/or optimizing viral hepatitis surveillance.