Global efforts to combat viral hepatitis are yielding measurable progress in reducing infections and deaths, but the disease remains a major public health challenge, according to a new report by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Latest data show that viral hepatitis B and C, the two infections responsible for about 95 per cent of hepatitis-related deaths worldwide, claimed 1.34 million lives in 2024. Transmission also persists at a worrying rate, with more than 4,900 new infections daily, translating to about 1.8 million annually.

According to the report, 10 countries, Nigeria, Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, South Africa and Viet Nam, accounted for 69 per cent of hepatitis B-related deaths globally in 2024.

For hepatitis C, the burden is more geographically dispersed, with 10 countries accounting for 58 per cent of deaths. These include China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Russian Federation, South Africa, the United States and Viet Nam.

WHO estimates indicate that about 287 million people were living with chronic hepatitis B or C infections in 2024. Within the same period, 0.9 million people were newly infected with hepatitis B, with the African region accounting for 68 per cent of new cases.

However, only 17 per cent of newborns in the region received the hepatitis B birth-dose vaccine.

A further 0.9 million hepatitis C infections were recorded in 2024, with people who inject drugs accounting for 44 per cent of new cases.

Highlighting the urgent need for expanded harm-reduction services and safer injection practices.

The report noted that of the 240 million people living with chronic hepatitis B in 2024, fewer than five per cent were receiving treatment. Similarly, only about 20 per cent of people with hepatitis C have been treated since 2015, when a 12-week curative therapy with a success rate of about 95 per cent became widely available.

As a result of limited access to prevention and care, an estimated 1.1 million people died from hepatitis B and 240,000 from hepatitis C in 2024. Liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma remain the leading causes of hepatitis-related deaths, with a significant proportion occurring in Africa and the Western Pacific.

Despite these challenges, the report highlighted progress in countries such as Egypt, Georgia, Rwanda and the United Kingdom, demonstrating that elimination of hepatitis as a public health threat is achievable with sustained commitment and investment.

The 2026 global hepatitis report recorded notable gains since 2015, with new hepatitis B infections declining by 32 per cent and hepatitis C-related deaths falling by 12 per cent globally.

It also revealed 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.

According to WHO, these gains reflect coordinated global and national efforts following the adoption of viral hepatitis elimination targets by member states at the World Health Assembly in 2016.

However, the report warned that progress remains too slow and uneven to meet the 2030 elimination targets, underscoring the need to scale up prevention, testing and treatment efforts worldwide.

Commenting on the findings, WHO Director-General, Tedros Ghebreyesus, said while countries are demonstrating that elimination is possible, significant gaps remain.

“At the same time, this report shows that progress is too slow and uneven. Many people remain undiagnosed and untreated due to stigma, weak health systems and inequitable access to care. While we have the tools to eliminate hepatitis as a public health threat, urgent scale-up of prevention, diagnosis and treatment is needed if the world is to meet the 2030 targets,” he said.

WHO noted that highly effective tools already exist, including vaccines that protect more than 95 per cent of recipients against hepatitis B, long-term antiviral therapies to manage chronic infections, and short-course treatments lasting 8–12 weeks that can cure over 95 per cent of hepatitis C cases.

Director of WHO’s Department for HIV, TB, Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections, Tereza Kasaeva, stressed the urgency of expanding access to care.

“The data shows that progress is possible, but also reveals where we are falling short. Every missed diagnosis and untreated infection due to chronic viral hepatitis represents a preventable death,” she said.

The report identified priority actions to accelerate elimination, including scaling up treatment for chronic hepatitis B, particularly in Africa and the Western Pacific, expanding access to hepatitis C treatment, and strengthening political commitment and financing.

It also called for improved hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination coverage, expanded antiviral prophylaxis to prevent mother-to-child transmission, and enhanced injection safety in healthcare and community settings, especially through stronger harm-reduction services.