On World Hepatitis Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) is calling on governments and global partners to accelerate efforts to eliminate viral hepatitis and reduce liver cancer deaths.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stressed that someone dies every 30 seconds from liver disease or liver cancer related to hepatitis, despite available tools for prevention and treatment.
Hepatitis types B, C, and D—responsible for chronic liver infections—affect over 300 million people globally and cause over 1.3 million deaths each year. Hepatitis D, newly classified as a human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, significantly increases the risk of liver cancer in patients already infected with hepatitis B.
WHO has released updated 2024 guidelines for diagnosing hepatitis B and D and is closely monitoring emerging treatments for hepatitis D. Oral therapies can cure hepatitis C within three months and effectively manage hepatitis B with long-term care.
Progress has been made in many low- and middle-income countries, with more national hepatitis plans, increased hepatitis B testing for pregnant women, and expanded birth-dose vaccinations. Still, testing and treatment coverage remain low—only 13% of hepatitis B cases and 36% of hepatitis C cases were diagnosed by 2022.
Related News: http://“Hepatitis Day: A Call to Action for a Hepatitis-Free Future”
To meet the 2030 elimination targets, WHO urges stronger integration of hepatitis services into health systems, more domestic investment, affordable medication access, and renewed efforts to fight stigma.
In collaboration with Rotary International and the World Hepatitis Alliance, WHO’s 2025 campaign, “Hepatitis: Let’s break it down”, highlights the urgent need for action to curb the rising burden of liver cancer and to close critical gaps in prevention and care.
