World Hepatitis Day: 28 million people in Eastern Mediterranean living with hepatitis – WHO
By Chioma Obinna
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has raised fresh concerns over the burden of viral hepatitis in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, revealing that an estimated 28 million people are living with hepatitis B and C, while nearly 97,000 people died from the diseases in 2024, despite the availability of effective vaccines, testing and treatment.
Marking the 2026 World Hepatitis Day, WHO warned that unless countries urgently close gaps in prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care, the global target of eliminating viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030 could remain out of reach.
Observed annually on July 28, this year’s campaign, themed “Hepatitis: Let’s break it down,” calls for the removal of barriers such as high costs, stigma and unequal access to healthcare that continue to prevent millions from receiving lifesaving services.
According to the Global Hepatitis Report 2026, about 16 million people in the Eastern Mediterranean Region are living with hepatitis B, while another 12 million have hepatitis C, making the region one of the world’s hardest-hit areas for viral hepatitis.
Although WHO reported significant progress in reducing new infections, it warned that treatment coverage remains dangerously low.
The report shows that since 2015, new hepatitis C infections have fallen by 28 per cent, largely driven by Egypt’s nationwide elimination campaign and similar efforts in Morocco, Pakistan and other countries.
The prevalence of hepatitis B among children under five has also declined because of improved routine immunisation.
However, WHO noted that the Eastern Mediterranean Region still accounts for about one-quarter of all hepatitis C infections globally.
Only 44 per cent of people living with hepatitis C have been diagnosed, while just 31 per cent are receiving treatment.
The situation is even worse for hepatitis B, where less than two per cent of infected people are accessing lifesaving treatment.
WHO also identified unsafe medical injections as a major source of transmission in some countries, accounting for about 14 per cent of new hepatitis C infections.
In addition, hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination coverage in the region remains low at 42 per cent, leaving many newborns vulnerable to infection.
WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, Dr. Hanan Balkhy, said eliminating viral hepatitis would require stronger political commitment, sustained investment and greater community involvement.
“Communities and civil society are at the heart of the response. They reduce stigma, raise awareness, reach underserved populations and work alongside ministries of health to ensure no one is left behind,” Balkhy said.
She stressed that expanding access to vaccination, testing and treatment, while integrating hepatitis services into broader health systems, would be critical to accelerating progress.
According to her, strengthening prevention efforts, particularly hepatitis B vaccination and measures to prevent mother-to-child transmission, remains essential to reducing new infections.
“By breaking down the barriers that remain, together we can eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat,” she said.
WHO said hepatitis programmes are already strengthening health systems through improved laboratory services, expanded diagnostics and integrated care for communicable diseases, but warned that these gains could be reversed without sustained funding.
As the 2030 deadline approaches, the organisation called on governments, development partners and communities to intensify efforts towards achieving the global targets of a 90 per cent reduction in new hepatitis infections and a 65 per cent reduction in hepatitis-related deaths.
The agency maintained that equitable access to prevention, testing, treatment and care remains the cornerstone of eliminating viral hepatitis and ensuring that no community is left behind.
