WHO appoints Amitabh Bachchan as goodwill ambassador for hepatitis

The World Health Organisation has appointed legendary Indian movie star Amitabh Bachchan as its ‘goodwill ambassador’ for hepatitis in South-East Asia to boost awareness and intensify action to arrest the hepatitis epidemic.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 12 May 2017, 10:01 AM
Updated : 12 May 2017, 10:01 AM

“I am absolutely committed to the cause of hepatitis. As a person living with hepatitis B, I know the pain and sufferings that hepatitis causes. No-one should ever suffer from viral hepatitis,” Bachchan said at an event organised by the WHO in Mumbai.

Bangladesh, Bhutan, South Korea, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Timor-Leste are the members of the region.

Regional Director Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh announced Bachchan’s association on Friday and termed it “historic”.

“This historic association is expected to help strengthen WHO’s efforts in reducing the high numbers of premature deaths and illnesses from viral hepatitis which is not only causing hardships to individuals and families, but also impacting health and development across the Region,” she said in a statement.

Viral hepatitis kills 410,000 people in the South-East Asia a year, mostly people in their productive years, according to the WHO. But it is preventable.

Nearly 90 million people suffer from chronic liver disease that is driving rates of liver cancer and cirrhosis in the region, according to the latest WHO estimates released this year.

As the WHO goodwill ambassador, the film star will lend his voice and support to public awareness programmes that aim to scale up preventive measures and advocate for early diagnosis and treatment of viral hepatitis to reduce the disease burden.

Among preventive measures, hepatitis B vaccination -- a dose within 24 hours of birth followed by three doses in the first six months of life -- provides protection and prevents mother-to-child transmission of the disease.

Safe practices related to injections, blood transfusions and other procedures can prevent the spread of hepatitis B and C while clean water and hygienic food can reduce the risk of hepatitis A and E infection.

“Mr Bachchan’s support will reinforce WHO’s efforts to end hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030,” said Dr Singh.

He will be advocating for the full implementation of WHO South-East Asia Region’s action plan for hepatitis which seeks to provide a roadmap for sustainable prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care.

Bachchan earlier served as UNICEF’s goodwill ambassador for polio in India.

“Mr Bachchan’s voice is one that is listened to by people across the country, regardless of cultural, social or economic background and can make real change possible,” JP Nadda, India’s health and family welfare minister, said in a video message.