Global efforts to eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030 are falling critically short, according to a new World Health Organization (WHO) analysis. In 2022, 254 million people lived with chronic hepatitis B (HBV) and 50 million with hepatitis C (HCV).
The disease burden is immense, with over 2.2 million new infections and more than 1.3 million hepatitis-related deaths globally in 2022. Mortality from hepatitis now surpasses that of tuberculosis. The African Region alone accounted for 62.7% of new HBV infections.
Significant gaps persist in diagnosis and treatment. Only 34.1 million with HBV were diagnosed, and 6.6 million received antiviral therapy. For HCV, 25.7 million were diagnosed, with 12.5 million treated. Limited access to care is a major impediment.
The WHO stresses the urgent need to scale up HBV vaccination, especially in Africa, and expand testing and treatment access worldwide. Intensified action is critical to meet UN Sustainable Development Goals for hepatitis elimination by 2030.