Politics
WHO urges global action as hepatitis claims 1.3 million lives
THE World Health Organization (WHO) has called for stronger political commitment, increased investment and equitable access to hepatitis prevention and treatment services, warning that viral hepatitis continues to claim about 1.3 million lives annually despite the availability of effective vaccines and treatments.
The WHO made the call in a statement commemorating the 2026 World Hepatitis Day. The day is observed annually on July 28, to raise awareness of viral hepatitis, and this year’s theme is, “Hepatitis: Let’s Break It Down.
The ICIR reports that hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver, most commonly caused by viral infections, although it can also result from alcohol use, certain medicines, toxins and autoimmune diseases.
The five main hepatitis viruses – A, B, C, D and E – differ in how they spread and the severity of illness they cause. Hepatitis B and C are the leading causes of chronic liver disease, cirrhosis and liver cancer, and account for the vast majority of hepatitis-related deaths worldwide.
According to the WHO, the campaign seeks to eliminate the barriers preventing millions of people from accessing life-saving hepatitis services, including stigma, limited awareness, weak health systems and persistent inequalities.
The global health agency said an estimated 287 million people lived with chronic hepatitis B or C in 2024, while only 45 per cent of newborns received the hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth, a critical intervention for preventing mother-to-child transmission.
It noted that despite the availability of effective vaccines, accurate diagnostics, curative treatments for hepatitis C and lifelong therapy for hepatitis B, millions remain undiagnosed or untreated.
“The tools needed to eliminate viral hepatitis already exist,” the WHO said, stressing that the priority should now be translating scientific advances into action through expanded access to prevention, testing, treatment and care.
The organisation identified stronger political commitment, sustained financing and accountability as key to accelerating progress toward eliminating hepatitis as a public health threat.
It also urged governments to integrate hepatitis services into primary healthcare and universal health coverage systems to ensure prevention, diagnosis and treatment are available throughout a person’s lifetime.
The WHO further emphasised the need to place affected communities at the centre of hepatitis elimination efforts, saying community participation would make policies and programmes more effective and responsive to people’s needs.
As part of this year’s campaign, the WHO urged the public to get tested for hepatitis B and C, promote hepatitis B screening during antenatal care, ensure newborns receive the hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth, and help combat stigma by sharing accurate information.
The ICIR reports that while Hepatitis A doesn’t lead to long-term liver damage like Hepatitis B and C, it can still cause a range of symptoms from mild to severe.
Hepatitis B, by contrast, spreads through infected body fluids, blood, or semen and often becomes chronic. It primarily spreads from mother to child during birth, a process known as perinatal transmission. HPB can also be transmitted horizontally, most often when an infected child passes the virus to an uninfected child, particularly within their first five years of life.
In 2022, 254 million people lived with chronic HBV infection, which accounted for 1.1 million deaths, primarily from cirrhosis or liver cancer. The WHO also noted that about 1.2 million new infections were recorded each year.
It said Hepatitis B could be prevented with a safe and effective vaccine, adding that the vaccine should be given soon after birth with boosters a few weeks later.
Hepatitis C, on the other hand, is transmitted almost exclusively through blood-to-blood contact, including unsafe injections and transfusions. Unlike B, there is no vaccine for hepatitis C, but it is curable with antiviral treatment.
However, most people remain undiagnosed until the infection has caused significant liver damage, making early testing and access to care critical.
The organisation also called on governments to expand hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination, improve safe blood transfusion and injection practices, decentralise testing and treatment services, and include hepatitis care in national health insurance schemes.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M
