World Hepatitis Day

  This World Hepatitis Day, let’s break down the barriers holding us back from a hepatitis-free world . The World Hepatitis Alliance, our partners, allies, and our 400 members in 120 countries are calling for action to end this entirely preventable disease. Our goals: That everyone has the knowledge and understanding they need to make informed choices about hepatitis testing, treatment and vaccination. For decision makers to become advocates, providing the resources needed to improve the lives of affected communities. An end to the stigma for people living with hepatitis, ensuring no one is left behind. That everyone sees that hepatitis elimination is not only possible but achievable – if we all work together to make it happen.

The World Hepatitis Day 2025 theme Let’s Break It Down calls for urgent action to dismantle the financial, social and systemic barriers – including stigma – that stand in the way of hepatitis elimination and liver cancer prevention. Chronic hepatitis B and C silently cause liver damage and cancer – despite them being preventable, treatable, and, in the case of hepatitis C, curable. The theme emphasizes the need to simplify, scale up, and integrate hepatitis services – vaccination, safe injection practices, harm reduction and especially testing and treatment – into national health systems. The campaign is a reminder that we must act now to expand access, integrate care, and end hepatitis as a public health problem by 2030.

Success for hepatitis B elimination is furthest along among children through vaccination. Patient safety from hepatitis C has greatly improved. Model programmes demonstrate that with national commitments, countries can scale up vaccination, injection safety, harm reduction, testing and care to reach elimination goals . The Budi Lukmanto Foundation, a grass-roots, non-profit organization, conducting hepatitis B screening for children at Vincentius Putra Orphanage in Jakarta, Indonesia.  This World Hepatitis Day , let us celebrate these successes. Let us reaffirm our global commitment to ending hepatitis as a public health threat . We have effective vaccines, reliable tests and curative treatments. What is needed now is political will, investment and solidarity . By embedding hepatitis elimination into national health plans , by  keeping commitments to United Nations goals and by working together , we can achieve a future free of hepatitis. Today and every day, let’s break down...

Partnerships among government officials, industry, civil society, health systems and multilateral institutions bring together expertise and financial resources needed to overcome remaining barriers . At the United Nations, Egypt spearheaded the launch in 2022 of the UN Group of Friends to Eliminate Hepatitis , now co-chaired by the United Nations missions of Brazil, Malaysia, Pakistan and Uganda. At R. G. Kar Hospital in Kolkata, India, a nurse administers a hepatitis B vaccine as part of a state-led program offering free hepatitis services.  The Group provides a forum for Member States to exchange information on progress and innovations. Through collective influence , the Group convenes events and develops resolutions that accelerate progress towards WHO goals. Currently, the Group is advocating for the inclusion of hepatitis elimination in the high-level political declaration on non-communicable diseases, to be adopted during the eightieth session of the United Nations General As...

Effective, low-cost antiviral medications can treat hepatitis B, cutting liver cancer risk in half. However, of the estimated 254 million people with hepatitis B, only 13% are diagnosed and a scant number receive treatment. The World Health Organization (WHO) recently simplified treatment criteria, increasing eligibility for treatment by non-liver specialists. To improve the health of people with hepatitis B in low- and middle-income countries , the recently launched Center for Operational Research on Hepatitis B is seeking to develop pathways of simplified care and integrated service delivery.

A To reach global elimination goals , more countries must scale up hepatitis C testing and care. Globally, only about one in three people living with hepatitis C are diagnosed and fewer still receive treatment. This gap is compounded by lack of awareness of the hepatitis C burden ; limited integration of HCV testing and treatment into national health systems ; and inequities in hepatitis C care for rural communities , those who are incarcerated and persons who inject drugs. To address these gaps, countries with model programmes can share simplified testing and treatment strategies with others . People with lived experience can serve as patient navigators and as ambassadors building trusted community relationships . Fortunately, the global movement is not idle. Countries from Brazil to Japan to Thailand have programmes underway to eliminate hepatitis C.