Minister of Health Memişoğlu: I would like to express that we should not withhold vaccines from our children.

Minister of Health Kemal Memişoğlu stated that while the number of children under the age of five suffering from acute hepatitis was over a hundred in the early 2000s, today there are fewer than five children suffering from acute hepatitis. He said, "It is very important for society to act together with healthcare professionals in the fight against such infectious diseases."

Memişoğlu attended the awareness event organized by the Ministry of Health at Ankara Bilkent City Hospital as part of World Hepatitis Day.

In his speech, Minister Memişoğlu said that awareness activities are important for physicians, patients, and society, and that they increase society's culture and awareness on this issue.

Reminding that not only Türkiye but also the world has been struggling with epidemics and contagious diseases for years, Memişoğlu stated that humanity has made great efforts and written a great success story in the fight against contagious diseases over the last 100 years.

Memişoğlu stated that in the early 1900s, infectious diseases were the biggest and most common cause of death in the world, but today they have fallen to lower ranks, especially in developed and developing countries.

Memişoğlu emphasized that vaccination is the biggest factor in the reduction of infectious diseases in Türkiye today, and noted the following:

The fact that hepatitis vaccines were offered completely free to our children, first in 1998 and then in 2012, demonstrated that vaccination is the most important factor in the decline of the disease. In the early 2000s, over a hundred children under the age of five suffered from acute hepatitis, but today, not even five children suffer from acute hepatitis. It is crucial that society works together with healthcare professionals in the fight against such infectious diseases. I especially want to emphasize that we must not withhold vaccines from our children. Hepatitis is an insidious disease. We all know the risks of transmission. It is one of the most important diseases affected by hygiene, quality of daily life, the use of blood and blood products, the quality of the injection, the quality of the materials and products—everything, and awareness.

Pointing out that the risk of hepatitis infection has been minimized today, Memişoğlu stated that society should also contribute to the fight against epidemics.

Kemal Memişoğlu stated, "We all know that treatment is possible for hepatitis that became chronic 20-30 years ago, especially for groups C and D, and that these can be sustained even in normal lives, even if the person is a carrier. Türkiye needs to get rid of this disease by vaccinating at a young age, treating chronic hepatitis at a certain age, and preventing its transmission to others. With our new action plan, which follows the action plan developed between 2018 and 2024, hepatitis will be completely eliminated, and it will have become a very rare disease in society. Handwashing habits and improved hygiene, in particular, will provide a significant advantage in the fight against the disease."

Memişoğlu, noting that Türkiye's healthcare system is an example to the world today, recalled that a "Healthy Turkey," defined as a "health system that protects, develops, and produces," was implemented under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Memişoğlu emphasized the importance of protecting one's health without getting sick, saying, "Protectiveness means taking care of one's body and creating awareness and a culture around it. No matter how much we healthcare professionals say this, society needs to adapt and help us."

Memişoğlu noted that they do not just wait for the public to come to the preventive healthcare system, but want to go to the public and teach them the culture of health and how to protect their bodies and health, and that Türkiye must become a healthy society.

Memişoğlu said, "You can provide healthcare, but if your society is still overweight, still smoking, still has bad habits, and is still inactive, then you can't be a healthy society. Our goal is to set an example for the world with healthcare, and we will strive to be a healthy society."

Minister of Health Memişoğlu thanked everyone who contributed to the low prevalence of hepatitis, including healthcare professionals and physicians, for their contributions.

Ankara Bilkent City Hospital Coordinator Chief Physician Prof. Dr. Levent Öztürk, Ankara Bilkent City Hospital Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology Clinic Administrative and Education Manager Prof. Dr. Rahmet Güner, and hepatitis patients Gülay Duran and Arif Mutluer also spoke at the event.