WHO has revealed in its latest report that 3500 people are dying every day globally due to hepatitis B and C infections. In current scenario, viral hepatitis has become the second-foremost infectious cause of death globally. According to the latest World Health Organization (WHO) 2024 Global Hepatitis Report, 1.3 million people have died in 2022 the same as tuberculosis, a topmost infectious killer.
Hepatitis B and C are liver infections by the hepatitis B and C virus. Hepatitis B is spread when blood, semen, or other body fluids from a person infected with the virus enters the body of someone who is not infected. The hepatitis C virus is a bloodborne virus and most infection occurs through exposure to blood from unsafe injection practices, unsafe health care, unscreened blood transfusions, injection drug use and sexual practices that lead to exposure to blood). Hepatitis B can cause a chronic infection and puts people at high risk of death from cirrhosis and liver cancer. The hepatitis C virus and can include yellow skin or eyes, not wanting to eat, upset stomach, throwing up, stomach pain, fever, dark urine, light-colored stool, joint pain, and feeling tired. Curently other than treatment there is no vaccination available for both Hepatitis B & C.
The WHO data reveals that the evaluated number of deaths from viral hepatitis raised from 1.1 million in 2019 to 1.3 million in 2022. Of these, 83 percent were caused by hepatitis B, and 17% by hepatitis C. That’s how every day, 3500 people are dying globally due to hepatitis B and C infections.
“This report paints a troubling picture: despite progress globally in preventing hepatitis infections, deaths are rising because far too few people with hepatitis are being diagnosed and treated,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a statement. “WHO is committed to supporting countries to use all the tools at their disposal – at access prices – to save lives and turn this trend around.”
As per the latest estimates by the global health agency, 254 million people lived with hepatitis B and 50 million with hepatitis C in 2022. Half of the chronic hepatitis B and C infections is among people who are aged between 30–54 years old, with 12% among children who are under 18 years of age and men account for 58 percent of all cases. As compared to 2019, there is a slight decrease in new cases but the overall incidence of viral hepatitis remains high. In 2022, there were 2.2 million new infections as compared in 2019 which is 2.5 million. These include 1.2 million new hepatitis B infections and about 1 million new hepatitis C infections. Every day more than 6000 people are getting newly infected with viral hepatitis.
The report also revealed that Bangladesh, Ethiopia, China, Indonesia, India, Nigeria, the Philippines, Pakistan, the Russian Federation and Viet Nam, collectively bear nearly two-thirds of the global burden of hepatitis B and C.
The health body revealed in its report, despite the availability of affordable generic viral hepatitis medicines, many countries fail to procure them even at lower prices.
“Pricing disparities persist both across and within WHO regions, with many countries paying above global benchmarks, even for off-patent drugs or when included in voluntary licensing agreements. For example, although tenofovir for treatment of hepatitis B is off patent and available at a global benchmark price of US$2.4 per month, only 7 of the 26 reporting countries paid prices at or below the benchmark,” WHO stated.
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