On the announcement of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2020 being awarded jointly to Harvey J. Alter, Michael Houghton and Charles M. Rice “for the discovery of Hepatitis C virus.”
WHA CEO Cary James said:
“Now, we must turn these scientific advances into real-world impact. Worldwide, fewer than one in five of the 71 million people living with hepatitis C has been diagnosed. Each year the virus claims almost 400,000 lives – lives that can be saved through earlier diagnosis, improved linkage to care, and universal access to effective curative therapies. Many of the people affected by viral hepatitis are those most underserved by health systems, so it is essential that we reach these communities and leave no one behind in our bid to eliminate the condition.
“The World Hepatitis Alliance congratulates the joint recipients of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. We hope that the prize brings much-needed awareness to hepatitis C, and call on global leaders and decision-makers to stand by their commitment to eliminating viral hepatitis through decisive political action and improved funding for the hepatitis response.”
Source: https://www.worldhepatitisalliance.org/news/oct-2020/wha-statement-scientists-who-discovered-hepatitis-c-virus-awarded-nobel-prize
