Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: India remains among the countries bearing the highest burden of hepatitis-related deaths even as global efforts show progress, according to the WHO’s Global Hepatitis Report 2026, which warns that the world is off track to meet the 2030 elimination targets.The report flags viral hepatitis as a major public health threat, with over 1.3 million deaths globally in 2024—largely from hepatitis B and C, which together account for more than 95% of hepatitis-related deaths.Hepatitis B and C are viral infections that affect the liver and can remain silent for years before leading to cirrhosis and cancer.India figures prominently in the global burden. It is among ten countries that together account for nearly 69% of hepatitis B-related deaths worldwide and 58% of global hepatitis C deaths. India also has one of the largest hepatitis C burdens, ranking second after Pakistan; along with China, the three countries account for about 39% of global cases.According to WHO and ICMR estimates, India falls in the intermediate hepatitis B burden category, with a prevalence of around 2–4%, translating to nearly 40 million people living with chronic infection.“Despite vaccines and simple, affordable treatment, India continues to carry a high hepatitis burden due to gaps in vaccination coverage, unsafe exposures like needle sharing and razor reuse, and missed opportunities in screening — especially during pregnancy. The bigger problem is under-diagnosis, not treatment access. While prevalence has dropped sharply and free hepatitis C treatment has expanded, awareness, routine screening, and long-term treatment compliance remain weak. At the current pace, eliminating hepatitis C by 2030 looks unlikely, though it is achievable in the foreseeable future,” said Dr. Piyush Ranjan, Vice-chairperson, Institute of liver gastroenterology & pancreatico biliary science, Sir Gangaram Hospital.While there has been progress, it remains uneven. Globally, new hepatitis B infections have fallen by 32% since 2015 and hepatitis C deaths by 12%, but hepatitis B deaths have risen by 17%, pointing to gaps in diagnosis and treatment.An estimated 240 million people were living with chronic hepatitis B and 47 million with hepatitis C in 2024, yet treatment access remains limited—fewer than 5% of hepatitis B patients are on therapy and only about 20% of eligible hepatitis C patients have been treated.The report highlights that most hepatitis B infections occur in early childhood, often through mother-to-child transmission, while hepatitis C continues to spread through unsafe injections and blood exposure.Despite falling infection rates, progress is too slow to meet the 2030 target of sharply reducing new infections and deaths. The WHO has called for scaling up screening, treatment, vaccination and safer medical practices.
