Nigeria has been listed among the top 10 countries with the highest hepatitis-related fatalities globally, despite measurable progress in reducing infections and deaths, according to a new report by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The report, released at the World Hepatitis Summit, stated that viral hepatitis B and C, responsible for about 95 per cent of hepatitis-related deaths, claimed 1.34 million lives worldwide in 2024, even as transmission persisted with more than 4,900 new infections recorded daily, translating to about 1.8 million new cases annually.

WHO, in its 2026 Global Hepatitis Report, noted that global efforts have yielded significant gains since 2015, with new hepatitis B infections declining by 32 per cent and hepatitis C-related deaths falling by 12 per cent. It added that hepatitis B prevalence among children under five has dropped to 0.6 per cent, with 85 countries achieving or surpassing the 2030 target of 0.1 per cent.

The organisation attributed the progress to sustained global and national action following the adoption of hepatitis elimination targets by Member States at the World Health Assembly in 2016. However, it warned that the pace of progress remains insufficient to meet the 2030 elimination targets, stressing the need to accelerate prevention, testing, and treatment efforts.

WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said while countries are showing that hepatitis elimination is achievable with strong political commitment and reliable domestic financing, progress remains slow and uneven. He noted that many people are still undiagnosed and untreated due to stigma, weak health systems, and inequitable access to care, adding that urgent scale-up of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment is required to meet global targets.

Providing further insights into the global burden, WHO said an estimated 287 million people were living with chronic hepatitis B or C in 2024. It disclosed that the WHO African Region accounted for 68 per cent of new hepatitis B infections, yet only 17 per cent of newborns in the region received the hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination.

As a result of limited access to prevention and care, the organisation said approximately 1.1 million people died from hepatitis B and 240,000 from hepatitis C in 2024, with liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma identified as the leading causes of hepatitis-related deaths.

It added that a significant share of hepatitis B-related deaths occurred in the African and Western Pacific regions, noting that 10 countries, including Nigeria, accounted for 69 per cent of such deaths globally. Similarly, another group of 10 countries, including Nigeria, accounted for 58 per cent of hepatitis C-related deaths worldwide.

The report outlined priority actions needed to accelerate elimination efforts, including scaling up treatment for chronic hepatitis B, particularly in the African and Western Pacific regions, and expanding access to hepatitis C treatment in the Eastern Mediterranean region.

It also called for stronger political commitment and financing, improved hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination coverage, and expanded use of antiviral prophylaxis to prevent mother-to-child transmission, especially in the African region.