Photo by WHO Immunization against hepatitis B in infancy can significantly reduce the risk of liver disease in the future. WHO: about five thousand new cases of hepatitis infection are registered every day Healthcare
Global efforts to combat viral hepatitis are producing tangible results, with the number of new infections and deaths falling significantly. However, the disease remains one of the most serious threats to public health worldwide. This is according to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO), presented on Monday at the World Hepatitis Summit.
Spread of infection
Viral hepatitis B and C, which account for 95 percent of all hepatitis-related deaths, claimed 1.34 million lives in 2024, according to WHO. Yet transmission continues, with more than 4,900 new infections reported daily, or 1.8 million per year.
Significant progress
The new report notes significant progress since 2015. The number of new cases of hepatitis B fell by 32 percent, and deaths from hepatitis C fell by 12 percent. These advances were made possible by collaboration at global and national levels after WHO Member States adopted targets to eliminate viral hepatitis in 2016. At the same time, the organization warns that the current pace is not enough to achieve all the goals by 2030. Prevention, testing and treatment efforts need to be accelerated.
The goal is to eliminate hepatitis
“Countries around the world are proving that eliminating hepatitis is not a pipe dream, but a realistic goal when there is political will and funding,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus. At the same time, he said, progress remains too slow and uneven, and millions of people are still not diagnosed and do not receive the necessary services treatment due to stigma, insufficient efficiency of healthcare systems and unequal access to medical care.
The situation in different countries
Thus, despite the progress made, limited access to prevention and health care continues to lead to high mortality rates. In 2024, it is estimated that about a million people died from hepatitis B, and 240 thousand from hepatitis C. Liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma remain the main causes of mortality. Particularly high mortality rates from hepatitis B have been recorded in a number of countries. Thus, Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, the Philippines, South Africa and Vietnam accounted for 69 percent of all hepatitis B deaths in the world in 2024. At the same time, hepatitis C deaths are more widely distributed geographically, with 58 percent of all cases occurring in China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Russian Federation, South Africa, the United States and Vietnam. hepatitis as a public health threat is possible with political will and investment. Effective tools already exist for this.
Effective tools
For example, the vaccine against hepatitis B provides more than 95 percent protection, and modern drugs can control chronic hepatitis B and cure more than 95 percent of cases hepatitis C.
WHO calls for accelerating the integration of hepatitis prevention, diagnosis and treatment into primary health care systems, expanding newborn vaccination coverage and strengthening harm reduction programs for people who inject drugs.