World Hepatitis Day 2026: Experts Call for Early Screening, Vaccination and Lifestyle Changes

New Delhi | Special Correspondent: Arun Sharma

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, has highlighted the urgent need for greater awareness, early diagnosis and timely treatment of viral hepatitis, warning that the disease continues to pose a major public health challenge in India and across the world.


Observed every year on July 28, World Hepatitis Day aims to promote global action against hepatitis, a disease that causes inflammation of the liver and can progress to liver cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer if left untreated.


Medical experts explained that hepatitis may occur as an acute or chronic illness. While acute infection often presents with jaundice, nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite, chronic hepatitis can remain symptomless for years before causing irreversible liver damage.


Five major hepatitis viruses—A, B, C, D and E—are responsible for the disease. Hepatitis A and E are generally transmitted through contaminated food and water, whereas Hepatitis B and C spread through infected blood, unsafe injections, unprotected sexual contact and mother-to-child transmission during childbirth.


Doctors noted that Hepatitis B and C remain the leading causes of liver cirrhosis, liver cancer and hepatitis-related deaths worldwide. Although Hepatitis A and E usually recover without specific antiviral treatment, Hepatitis B requires long-term medication, while more than 95 percent of Hepatitis C patients can now be cured with a three-month antiviral therapy. Advanced liver disease may require liver transplantation.


This year’s World Hepatitis Day theme, “Hepatitis: Let’s Break It Down,” focuses on eliminating stigma, misinformation and healthcare barriers that prevent people from accessing life-saving prevention, testing and treatment services.


According to the World Health Organization (WHO), ten countries, including India, account for nearly 66 percent of the global burden of Hepatitis B and C infections. Globally, an estimated 254 million people are living with Hepatitis B and 50 million with Hepatitis C. However, only a small proportion of infected individuals have been diagnosed or received treatment.


India remains one of the countries with the highest hepatitis burden, with an estimated 40 million people living with chronic Hepatitis B and 6–12 million infected with Hepatitis C, representing nearly 12 percent of the global viral hepatitis burden.


The WHO has set an ambitious target to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030. Supporting this goal, India’s National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme provides Hepatitis B vaccination for newborns, free testing at government healthcare facilities and free treatment for eligible Hepatitis B and C patients.


People at higher risk—including healthcare workers, pregnant women, recipients of blood transfusions, intravenous drug users and family members of Hepatitis B patients—are strongly advised to undergo regular screening.


A significant study by the Department of Gastroenterology, AIIMS, New Delhi, found that Hepatitis A and E account for nearly 30 percent of acute liver failure cases, a condition associated with a mortality rate exceeding 50 percent. Experts emphasised that ensuring access to safe drinking water remains one of the most effective preventive measures.


Researchers also warned of the rapid rise in fatty liver disease in India, driven by unhealthy diets, obesity, physical inactivity and increasing consumption of processed foods. The condition is now affecting both adults and children and has emerged as a growing contributor to chronic liver disease.


Health experts urged the public to adopt healthier lifestyles by avoiding alcohol, maintaining a balanced diet, exercising regularly, getting vaccinated, undergoing timely screening and avoiding unnecessary medications without medical advice.


The message of World Hepatitis Day 2026 is clear: greater awareness, early detection and timely treatment can save millions of lives and help eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat.