Registration now open for the new "Viral Hepatitis" MOOC

The Department of Education is launching a new MOOC hosted on the FUN platform and realized with the support of the Fondation IPSEN. Sign up now!

Hepatitis is an acute or chronic inflammation of the liver. Viral hepatitis is most commonly caused by five viruses : A, B, C, D, and E. Some infections will resolve without any serious problems, while others can induce acute liver failure or be chronic and cause fibrosis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. Globally viral hepatitis results in high mortality worldwide, almost equal to tuberculosis and more than HIV and malaria. Most deaths occur indirectly from liver scarring or liver cancer. Viral hepatitis is considered by WHO a very serious public health issue. In this MOOC, you will find the latest developments on the intimate structure and pathophysiology of hepatic viruses and on the epidemiology and clinical courses of hepatitis which may differ in developed and in low and middle income countries. You will learn about prevention of hepatitis A, B and D by immunization and about the most recent developments of efficient treatments of hepatitis B and hepatitis C which allow to get rid of virus B in 90% of patients and to definitely cure hepatitis C in 95% of them. Clear international guidelines are now available for these treatments.

Despite these progresses, the mortality of viral hepatitis remains high through the world (1.6 million death in 2016 according to WHO) particularly since access to screening, prevention and efficient medications remains critically low in many developping countries, but not only.

At last you will learn about the many public health issues of viral hepatitis and the ambitious plan of WHO to eradicate viral hepatitis by 2030.