The number of hepatitis C cases in India is second only to China, with 35 million infections in 2022, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) report in Geneva.
Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver that can cause a variety of health problems and can be fatal.
Globally, 25 million people were infected with hepatitis B and 50 million were infected with hepatitis C in 2024, according to WHO's 2024 Global Hepatitis Report released on Tuesday.
India, which was second only to China in cases of viral hepatitis, recorded 2.98 crore hepatitis B cases in 2022, while the number of hepatitis C infections stood at 55 lakh.
China has recorded 83 million cases of hepatitis B and C, accounting for 27.5 percent of the total disease burden.With a total of 3.5 crore cases, India accounted for 11. per cent of the total disease burden globally that year, the report said.
There are five main types of hepatitis viruses, called types A, B C, D and E. While they all cause liver disease, they differ in important ways, including methods of transmission, severity of disease, geographic distribution, and methods of prevention.
In particular, types B and C cause chronic disease in millions of people and together are the most common causes of liver cirrhosis, liver cancer, and viral hepatitis-related deaths.
WHO reported on Tuesday that the number of deaths due to viral hepatitis is rising and that the disease is the second leading infectious cause of death globally - with 1.3 million deaths per year - behind tuberculosis.The WHO report said new data from 187 countries showed that the projected number of deaths from viral hepatitis increased from 1.1 million in 2019 to 1.3 million in 2022. Of these, 83 percent were caused by hepatitis B and 17 percent were caused by hepatitis C. ,
"Every day, 3,500 people are dying globally due to hepatitis B and the infection," said the report released at the World Hepatitis Summit.
“This report paints a disturbing picture: despite progress globally in preventing hepatitis infections, deaths are rising because too few people with hepatitis are diagnosed and treated,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. being done."
“WHO is committed to helping countries use all the tools at their disposal – at access prices – to save lives and reverse this trend.,
According to the report, half the burden of chronic hepatitis B and C infection is in people aged 30-54, with 12 per cent in children under 18 years of age. 58 percent of all cases are men.
In addition to talking about global progress and gaps in diagnosis and treatment, the WHO 2024 Global Hepatitis Report also pointed to disparities in pricing of service delivery, saying funding remains a challenge.
The report outlines a series of actions to advance the public health approach to viral hepatitis, designed to accelerate progress toward ending the epidemic by 2030.
These include: expanding access to testing and diagnostics; translating policies into implementation for equitable treatment; strengthening primary car prevention efforts; Using better data to take action; and involving affected communities and civil society, among others.
Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver that can cause a variety of health problems and can be fatal.
Globally, 25 million people were infected with hepatitis B and 50 million were infected with hepatitis C in 2024, according to WHO's 2024 Global Hepatitis Report released on Tuesday.
India, which was second only to China in cases of viral hepatitis, recorded 2.98 crore hepatitis B cases in 2022, while the number of hepatitis C infections stood at 55 lakh.
China has recorded 83 million cases of hepatitis B and C, accounting for 27.5 percent of the total disease burden.With a total of 3.5 crore cases, India accounted for 11. per cent of the total disease burden globally that year, the report said.
There are five main types of hepatitis viruses, called types A, B C, D and E. While they all cause liver disease, they differ in important ways, including methods of transmission, severity of disease, geographic distribution, and methods of prevention.
In particular, types B and C cause chronic disease in millions of people and together are the most common causes of liver cirrhosis, liver cancer, and viral hepatitis-related deaths.
WHO reported on Tuesday that the number of deaths due to viral hepatitis is rising and that the disease is the second leading infectious cause of death globally - with 1.3 million deaths per year - behind tuberculosis.The WHO report said new data from 187 countries showed that the projected number of deaths from viral hepatitis increased from 1.1 million in 2019 to 1.3 million in 2022. Of these, 83 percent were caused by hepatitis B and 17 percent were caused by hepatitis C. ,
"Every day, 3,500 people are dying globally due to hepatitis B and the infection," said the report released at the World Hepatitis Summit.
“This report paints a disturbing picture: despite progress globally in preventing hepatitis infections, deaths are rising because too few people with hepatitis are diagnosed and treated,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. being done."
“WHO is committed to helping countries use all the tools at their disposal – at access prices – to save lives and reverse this trend.,
According to the report, half the burden of chronic hepatitis B and C infection is in people aged 30-54, with 12 per cent in children under 18 years of age. 58 percent of all cases are men.
In addition to talking about global progress and gaps in diagnosis and treatment, the WHO 2024 Global Hepatitis Report also pointed to disparities in pricing of service delivery, saying funding remains a challenge.
The report outlines a series of actions to advance the public health approach to viral hepatitis, designed to accelerate progress toward ending the epidemic by 2030.
These include: expanding access to testing and diagnostics; translating policies into implementation for equitable treatment; strengthening primary car prevention efforts; Using better data to take action; and involving affected communities and civil society, among others.
