“Every 30 seconds, someone dies from a hepatitis-related severe liver disease or liver cancer. Yet we have the tools to stop hepatitis,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
Viral hepatitis types A, B, C, D, and E are major causes of acute liver infection. Among these, only hepatitis B, C, and D can lead to chronic diseases that significantly increase the risk of cirrhosis, liver failure, or liver cancer.
Yet most people with hepatitis don’t know they’re infected. Types B, C, and D affect over 300 million people globally and cause more than 1.3 million deaths each year, mainly from liver cirrhosis and cancer.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) recently classified hepatitis D as carcinogenic to humans, just like hepatitis B and C.
This reclassification represents a significant milestone in global efforts to increase awareness, enhance screening, and expand access to new treatments for hepatitis D.
Hepatitis D, which is an inflammation of the liver and only affects individuals infected with hepatitis B, is associated with a two- to six-fold higher risk of liver cancer compared to hepatitis B alone.
Simultaneous infection with HBV and HDV can lead to mild-to-severe hepatitis with signs and symptoms indistinguishable from those of other types of acute viral hepatitis infections.
These features typically appear 3–7 weeks after initial infection and include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, dark urine, pale-coloured stools, jaundice (yellow eyes), and even fulminant hepatitis.
“WHO has published guidelines on testing and diagnosis of Hepatitis B and D in 2024 and is actively following the clinical outcomes from innovative treatments for hepatitis D,” said Dr. Meg Doherty, incoming Director of Science for Health at WHO.
Treatment with oral medicine can cure hepatitis C within 2 to 3 months and effectively suppress hepatitis B with lifelong therapy.
Treatment options for hepatitis D are evolving; however, the full benefit of reducing liver cirrhosis and cancer deaths can only be realized through urgent action to scale up and integrate hepatitis services, including vaccination, testing, harm reduction, and treatment, into national health systems.
Encouragingly, the majority of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have strategic plans on hepatitis in place, and progress in national hepatitis responses is increasing.
In 2025, the number of countries reporting national hepatitis action plans increased from 59 to 123.
Additionally, 129 countries have adopted policies for hepatitis B testing among pregnant women, up from 106 in 2024, and 147 countries have introduced the hepatitis B birth dose vaccination, an increase from 138 in 2022.
To mark World Hepatitis Day, WHO partnered with Rotary International and the World Hepatitis Alliance to strengthen global and local advocacy.
This year’s campaign, “Hepatitis: Let’s break it down,” demands action to confront the rising toll of liver cancer linked to chronic hepatitis infections.
It also calls for decisive steps to dismantle persistent barriers—from stigma to funding gaps—that continue to slow progress in prevention, testing, and treatment.
