The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called on governments and health partners to speed up efforts to eliminate viral hepatitis and cut liver cancer deaths.
Marking World Hepatitis Day on Monday, WHO warned that every 30 seconds, someone dies from a hepatitis-related disease.
Director-General Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus said the world has the tools to stop it but must act now.
“Viral hepatitis, types A, B, C, D, and E, are significant causes of acute liver infection.
“Types B, C, and D pose the greatest risk of chronic infection, which can lead to cirrhosis, liver failure, or cancer.”
Ghebreyesus noted that more than 300 million people worldwide were affected by hepatitis B, C, and D, which together caused more than 1.3 million deaths annually.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) recently reclassified hepatitis D as carcinogenic to humans, further underscoring the need for urgent intervention.
“Hepatitis D, which only affects people already infected with hepatitis B, carries a two- to six-fold higher risk of liver cancer compared to hepatitis B alone,” he added.
Dr Meg Doherty, WHO’s incoming Director of Science for Health, noted that updated guidelines on testing and diagnosing hepatitis B and D were published in 2024, and that new treatments were emerging.
“Hepatitis C can be cured with oral medication in two to three months, while hepatitis B can be managed effectively with lifelong therapy.
“Treatment options for hepatitis D are evolving,” she said.
However, she warned that the full impact of treatment and prevention would only be realised if countries scaled up and integrated hepatitis services into national health systems, including vaccination, testing, harm reduction, and treatment.
“Encouragingly, WHO reports progress: the number of countries with national hepatitis action plans has more than doubled from 59 in 2021 to 123 in 2025.
“As of 2025, 129 countries are testing pregnant women for hepatitis B, and 147 have introduced the hepatitis B birth dose vaccine, up from 138 in 2022.
“In spite of this progress, major gaps remain.”
According to WHO’s 2024 Global Hepatitis Report, only 13 per cent of people with hepatitis B and 36 per cent with hepatitis C had been diagnosed by 2022.
“Treatment rates are even lower, just 3 per cent for hepatitis B and 20 per cent for hepatitis C, well below the 2025 targets of 60 per cent diagnosed and 50 per cent treated.”
Doherty emphasised that only 80 countries had integrated hepatitis services into primary healthcare, 128 into HIV programmes, and just 27 had included hepatitis C services in harm reduction centres.
“Achieving WHO’s 2030 targets could save 2.8 million lives and prevent 9.8 million new infections.
“With declining donor support, countries must prioritise domestic investment, integrated services, better data, affordable medicines, and the elimination of stigma.
“To commemorate World Hepatitis Day, WHO is partnering with Rotary International and the World Hepatitis Alliance to ramp up global and local advocacy.
“This year’s campaign calls for urgent action to address the increasing toll of liver cancer linked to chronic hepatitis and to eliminate barriers such as stigma and funding gaps that hinder prevention and treatment.
“The partnership highlights the essential role of civil society and community leadership, alongside governments, in sustaining momentum and accelerating progress,” she said
