{"id":7719,"date":"2026-04-30T22:48:33","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T13:18:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hepatitissa.asn.au\/communitynews\/?p=7719"},"modified":"2026-04-30T22:48:34","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T13:18:34","slug":"hep-report26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hepatitissa.asn.au\/communitynews\/2026\/04\/hep-report26\/","title":{"rendered":"Elimination by 2030: Urgent Global Action Needed"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Urgent scale-up of global action is needed if the world is to meet its target of eliminating viral hepatitis by 2030. This was the clear message from the World Health Organization (WHO) in the Global hepatitis report 2026<\/em>. In 2024 alone, 1.1 million people died from hepatitis B, and 240,000 from hepatitis C.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said although countries are showing that eliminating hepatitis is not a pipe-dream, that it is possible with sustained political commitment, and reliable domestic financing, progress has been too slow and uneven. Many people remain undiagnosed and untreated due to stigma, weak health systems and inequitable access to care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Global burden and gaps in response<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Updated WHO estimates released in a new World Health Organization report<\/a> released at the World Hepatitis Summit indicate that 287\u00a0million people were living with chronic hepatitis B or C infection in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That year, 0.9 million people were newly infected with hepatitis B. The WHO African Region accounted for 68% of new hepatitis B infections, yet only 17% of newborns in the region received the hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A further 0.9 million hepatitis C infections were recorded in 2024. People who inject drugs accounted for 44% of new infections, highlighting the urgent need for stronger harm reduction services and safe injection practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of the 240 million people with chronic hepatitis B in 2024, fewer than 5% were receiving treatment. Only 20% of people with hepatitis C have been treated since 2015, when a new 12-week treatment with a cure rate of about 95% became available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As a result of limited access to prevention and care, in 2024 an estimated 1.1 million people died from hepatitis B and 240 000 from hepatitis C. Liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma were the main causes of hepatitis related deaths. A large share of hepatitis B-related deaths occurred in the African and Western Pacific Regions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ten countries (Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, the Philippines, South Africa and Vietnam) accounted for 69% of hepatitis B-elated deaths worldwide in 2024. Hepatitis C-related deaths are more geographically dispersed. In 2024, ten countries accounted for 58% of the global total: China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Russian Federation, South Africa, the United States of America and Vietnam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Measurable Progress<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Global efforts to combat viral hepatitis are delivering measurable progress in reducing infections and deaths, but the disease remains a major global health challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Viral hepatitis B and C, the two infections responsible for 95% of hepatitis-related deaths worldwide, claimed 1.34 million lives in 2024, the latest data show. At the same time, transmission continues, with more than 4900 new infections every day. This is 1.8 million new infections each year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In highly endemic areas, most chronic hepatitis B infections occur in children aged under 5 years, either through mother-to-child transmission at birth or horizontal transmission in childhood through person-to-person contact in the presence of open cuts and sores. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

People can also be infected with HBV through exposure to infected blood via needle-stick injuries, tattooing, piercing, sexual contact and sharing of contaminated needles or sharp instruments in health care and community settings or among people who inject drugs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Global hepatitis report 2026 <\/em><\/em>documents the significant gains made since 2015. The annual number of new hepatitis B infections has dropped by 32% and hepatitis C-related deaths have fallen by 12% globally. Hepatitis B prevalence among children under five has also decreased to 0.6%, with 85 countries achieving or surpassing the 2030 target of 0.1%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These achievements reflect the impact of sustained, coordinated global and national action following the adoption of WHO viral hepatitis elimination targets by member states, including Australia, at the World Health Assembly in 2016. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the report warns that current rates of progress are insufficient to meet all 2030 elimination targets, underscoring the urgent need to accelerate prevention, testing, and treatment efforts worldwide. At Hepatitis SA we have been reporting for some time<\/a> about concerns that Australia will fail to meet its 2030 targets<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Proven solutions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Despite these challenges, progress in countries such as Egypt, Georgia, Rwanda, Pakistan <\/a>and the United Kingdom<\/a> demonstrates that eliminating hepatitis as a public health problem is achievable with sustained commitment and investment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Highly effective tools are already available:<\/p>\n\n\n\n