Overview
- WHO released its 2026 Global Hepatitis Report at the World Hepatitis Summit, reporting 1.34 million deaths in 2024 and about 1.8 million new infections each year.
- An estimated 287 million people live with chronic hepatitis B or C, with fewer than 5% of people with HBV on treatment and only 20% of eligible HCV patients treated since 2015.
- Since 2015, new hepatitis B infections fell 32% and hepatitis C deaths fell 12%, and under‑five hepatitis B prevalence dropped to 0.6% with 85 countries meeting the 2030 child target.
- The burden is concentrated, with 69% of HBV deaths in Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, the Philippines, South Africa and Viet Nam, and 58% of HCV deaths in China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, South Africa, the United States and Viet Nam.
- The report cites major gaps such as low HBV birth‑dose coverage in Africa and limited harm‑reduction services, and it urges countries to expand vaccination, testing and treatment while pointing to successes in Egypt, Georgia, Rwanda and the UK as proof that elimination is achievable.