WHO: Hepatitis elimination efforts progress, but more action needed to meet 2030 targets
A new World Health Organization report indicates global efforts against viral hepatitis have yielded progress in reducing infections and deaths, but the pace is too slow to meet 2030 elimination goals.
Global efforts to combat viral hepatitis have made strides in reducing new infections and deaths, but the disease remains a significant global health challenge, according to a new report by the World Health Organization (WHO) released on April 28, 2026. In 2024, hepatitis B and C, which account for 95% of all hepatitis-related deaths, caused 1.34 million fatalities.
The report, documenting progress since 2015, highlights significant achievements. New hepatitis B infections have decreased by 32%, and hepatitis C-related deaths have fallen by 12%. Notably, hepatitis B prevalence among children under five has seen a substantial reduction. However, the WHO warns that the current pace of progress is insufficient to achieve the 2030 elimination targets, underscoring the urgent need to accelerate prevention, diagnosis, and treatment efforts worldwide.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized that while hepatitis elimination is possible with sustained political commitment and funding, progress has been uneven. Many individuals still lack diagnosis and treatment due to stigma, weak health systems, and unequal access to care. The world must scale up necessary prevention, diagnostic, and treatment services.
An estimated 287 million people were living with chronic hepatitis B or C infection in 2024. The WHO African Region continues to bear a large burden of new infections, with a low percentage of newborns receiving the hepatitis B vaccine at birth. Injecting drug use also accounts for a significant proportion of new hepatitis C infections, highlighting the need for harm reduction services.