World Hepatitis Day takes place every year on 28 July to raise awareness of hepatitis, an inflammation of the liver. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), hepatitis was responsible for more than 1.3 million deaths worldwide and 1.8 million new infections in 2024 alone.
The theme for this year's campaign, “Elimination for everyone, everywhere, right now!”, highlights the urgent need to step up efforts to eliminate viral hepatitis. The main goal of World Hepatitis Day is to raise awareness, promote prevention, and improve access to testing and treatment for hepatitis, a disease that remains one of the leading causes of illness and death worldwide.
WHO estimates that around 300 million people are living with chronic hepatitis B or hepatitis C infection. Encouragingly, effective measures are available at every stage of prevention and care, from hepatitis B vaccination and early diagnosis to antiviral treatment and access to healthcare services. The widespread availability of these interventions makes it possible to significantly reduce the burden of viral hepatitis and bring the world closer to eliminating it as a public health threat.
References
World Health Organization (WHO). World Hepatitis Day 2026
