World Hepatitis Day (WHD) 2026:
The world observed World Hepatitis Day on 28th July to raise awareness about viral hepatitis, one of the deadliest infectious diseases.
- The theme for World Hepatitis Day 2026 is “Hepatitis: Let’s Break It Down,” calling for the removal of financial, social and systemic barriers to hepatitis services.
- Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver caused by viral infections, toxic substances such as alcohol and certain drugs, or autoimmune disorders.
- The five main hepatitis viruses are types A, B, C, D and E.
- Chronic hepatitis B and C account for more than 90% of deaths and disability associated with viral hepatitis. They are major causes of cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer.
- Viral hepatitis causes nearly 1.34 million deaths and around two million new infections every year. About 287 million people live with chronic hepatitis B or C, and most remain unaware of their infection.
- India has an estimated 29 million people with chronic hepatitis B and 5.5 million with chronic hepatitis C, placing it second among the ten countries with the highest hepatitis burden. India also accounts for around 10–15% of the global hepatitis B carrier pool.
- According to India’s 2021 HIV Sentinel Surveillance, hepatitis B seroprevalence was about 0.85%, or roughly 1 in 118 people, while hepatitis C seroprevalence was 0.29%, or around 1 in 345 people.
- Seroprevalence refers to the proportion of people in a surveyed sample who test positive for a disease.
- India’s hepatitis B diagnosis rate is only about 2.4%, meaning that most infected people have never been tested. The absence of early symptoms allows the disease to progress silently.
- Hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination reaches only around 63% of newborns in India, although third-dose coverage during early childhood is about 93%. Delayed birth-dose vaccination increases the risk of preventable mother-to-child transmission.
- Most people show no symptoms during the early stages. Possible warning signs include persistent fatigue, poor appetite, nausea, abdominal discomfort, dark urine and jaundice.
- Low awareness, misinformation, stigma, weak integration of hepatitis services into primary healthcare and high treatment costs prevent people from accessing timely testing and care.
- The WHO aims to achieve a 90% reduction in new hepatitis B infections, a 65% reduction in hepatitis-related deaths and 90% diagnosis coverage by 2030.
