WHO Warns Global Efforts to Eliminate Hepatitis Moving Too Slowly
Key Developments:
- The World Health Organization warns global progress toward eliminating hepatitis remains too slow despite available treatments.
- Viral hepatitis B and C continue to cause over one million deaths annually worldwide.
- Low diagnosis rates, treatment gaps, and unequal healthcare access remain major global challenges.
GENEVA (Arab News) — April 29, 2026: The World Health Organization has raised concern over the slow pace of global efforts to eliminate hepatitis, warning that millions of preventable deaths continue despite the availability of effective vaccines and treatments.
In its latest global assessment, the UN health agency reported that viral hepatitis B and C — responsible for the vast majority of hepatitis-related fatalities — remain a major public health threat worldwide.
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Millions Affected Despite Available Solutions
According to the organization’s findings, hepatitis B and C infections caused approximately 1.34 million deaths globally in the most recent reporting year, while more than 1.8 million new infections continue to occur annually.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized the urgency of accelerating global action, stating: “Progress is too slow and uneven.”
He further noted: “While we have the tools to eliminate hepatitis as a public health threat, urgent scale-up of prevention, diagnosis and treatment is needed.”
Health experts explain that hepatitis refers to inflammation of the liver caused by viral infections or other factors, potentially leading to severe complications including liver failure and cancer. Among the five main hepatitis strains, types B and C account for the overwhelming majority of deaths.
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Treatment and Diagnosis Gaps Persist
The WHO estimates that hundreds of millions of people worldwide are living with chronic hepatitis infections, yet treatment coverage remains limited. Fewer than five percent of people living with chronic hepatitis B currently receive treatment, while only a fraction of hepatitis C patients have accessed curative therapies since global elimination targets were introduced.
Regional disparities also remain significant. Africa continues to carry one of the highest burdens of hepatitis B infection, with relatively low newborn vaccination coverage compared to global targets.
Highlighting the consequences of delayed intervention, WHO hepatitis programme director Tereza Kasaeva said: “Every missed diagnosis and untreated infection due to chronic viral hepatitis represents a preventable death.”
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Prevention Tools Already Exist
Public health officials stress that effective solutions are already available. The hepatitis B vaccine provides protection for more than 95 percent of recipients, while antiviral therapies can manage chronic infection and prevent severe liver disease. Short-course treatments lasting several weeks can cure most hepatitis C cases.
Several countries, including Britain, Egypt, Georgia and Rwanda, have demonstrated that eliminating hepatitis as a public health threat is achievable through sustained policy commitment and investment.
Tedros reiterated that success depends on political will and funding, saying: “Eliminating hepatitis is not a pipedream: it’s possible with sustained political commitment, backed by reliable domestic financing.”
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Gradual Progress but Major Work Ahead
The WHO acknowledged measurable gains since global elimination strategies began, including declines in new hepatitis B infections and reductions in hepatitis C-related deaths. However, officials warn that without faster expansion of testing, vaccination and treatment programmes, international elimination targets may remain out of reach.
Health authorities continue to call for strengthened healthcare systems, reduced stigma surrounding diagnosis, and equitable access to treatment as essential steps toward preventing millions of avoidable deaths worldwide.
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