Health
WHO demands global action as hepatitis kills 1.3 million yearly
Idowu Abdullahi
The World Health Organisation has said viral hepatitis remains one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases, claiming an estimated 1.3 million lives in 2024 despite global progress in reducing new infections.
The global health body disclosed this on Monday in a report assessing progress in implementing the Global Health Sector Strategies on HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections for 2022 to 2030.
The report was released in Rio de Janeiro during the 26th International AIDS Conference and ahead of the 2026 World Hepatitis Day marked annually on July 28.
The theme for this year’s World Hepatitis Day is “Hepatitis: Let’s break it down.”
Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver caused by a variety of infectious and non-infectious agents, leading to a range of health problems, including severe liver damage and cancer, some of which can be fatal, according to the WHO.
The global health body explains that there are 5 main strains of the hepatitis virus, referred to as types A, B, C, D, and E.
In the new report, WHO explained that despite progress made in the response to viral hepatitis, the disease remains a leading killer globally.
“Since 2015, annual hepatitis B infections have decreased by 32%, and hepatitis C-related deaths have fallen by 12% globally.
“Despite these gains, viral hepatitis remains one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases, claiming an estimated 1.3 million lives in 2024, with mortality continuing to rise,” it said.
It explained that deaths linked to viral hepatitis have increased since 2015.
“Deaths linked to hepatitis B have increased by 17% since 2015. Diagnosis and treatment coverage remain low, particularly for hepatitis B, despite the availability of highly effective medicines that could prevent millions of deaths,” he said.
The report highlights the urgent need to remove the financial, social, and systemic barriers that continue to limit access to hepatitis prevention, testing, treatment, and care for millions of people.
It stressed that eliminating mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B remains a key priority.
As of 2024, 287 million people were living with chronic hepatitis B or C globally. In the same year, only 45% of babies received the hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth, while 1.3 million people died of chronic hepatitis B and C, according to the WHO.
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