“Taiwan has nearly achieved the WHO’s elimination targets for hepatitis C, with diagnosis and treatment rates of roughly 90 percent,” reports The Doomslayer.
As Wikipedia notes, “Hepatitis C is an infectious disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) that primarily affects the liver; it is a type of viral hepatitis… Early symptoms can include fever, dark urine, abdominal pain, and jaundice. The virus persists in the liver, becoming chronic, in about 70% of those initially infected. Early on, chronic infection typically has no symptoms. Over many years however, it often leads to liver disease and occasionally cirrhosis. In some cases, those with cirrhosis will develop serious complications such as liver failure, liver cancer, or dilated blood vessels in the esophagus and stomach. HCV is spread primarily by blood-to-blood contact associated with injection drug use, poorly sterilized medical equipment, needlestick injuries in healthcare, and transfusions.”
Taiwan News reports that
Taiwan has achieved its hepatitis C elimination targets ahead of schedule and plans to apply for World Health Organization certification by year’s end…
Taiwan was the first country to introduce universal hepatitis B vaccination for newborns in 1986, sharply reducing hepatitis B prevalence and liver cancer rates among younger generations. The hepatitis C virus was identified by the international medical community in 1989.
Taiwan launched a second major campaign against hepatitis with HCV treatment programs in 2003 and accelerated progress under a national policy framework in 2016. The government set a target of eliminating hepatitis C by the end of this year.
22 nations have eliminated measles and rubella by vaccinating their populations at rates of over 90%.
Denmark is close to wiping out leading cancer-causing HPV strains through vaccination.
A vaccine to save koalas from chlamydia was recently approved. That disease has killed tens of thousands of koalas.
Scientists have developed a rabies vaccine for vampire bats that spreads through grooming: “The vaccine is delivered via a gel applied to one bat’s fur. When others groom it, they ingest the gel and gain immunity. Laboratory studies show this method could effectively protect entire colonies.”
Vaccines save many lives. “Measles vaccination has saved 94 million lives globally since 1974. Of those, 92 million were children”, says Our World in Data. But measles vaccination rates have fallen in the U.S., and as a result, unvaccinated children died this year in Texas and California.
