Study OAS · 28 July 2025

World Hepatitis Day 2025: Breaking Down Barriers

What’s New?

World Hepatitis Day 2025, observed on July 28, 2025, adopted the theme “Hepatitis: Let’s Break It Down”, urging action to dismantle financial, social, and systemic barriers (including stigma) to achieve hepatitis elimination by 2030.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported 304 million people live with chronic hepatitis B (HBV) or C (HCV), causing 1.3 million deaths annually (3,500 daily), surpassing HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria combined.
In India, 40 million have chronic HBV, and 6–12 million have HCV, with Bihar, Punjab, Haryana, and tribal areas like Odisha and Madhya Pradesh showing high prevalence (up to 12%).

Hepatitis is liver inflammation, often caused by viral infections (hepatitis A, B, C, D, E), leading to cirrhosis, liver cancer, or liver failure. HBV and HCV cause 90% of hepatitis-related deaths.
World Hepatitis Day: Established by the World Health Assembly in 2010, observed on July 28 to honor Dr. Baruch Blumberg, who discovered HBV in 1967 and developed its vaccine, earning the Nobel Prize in 1976.
History:
- Began as International Hepatitis C Awareness Day on October 1, 2004, by European and Middle Eastern patient groups.
- Shifted to May 19 in 2008 by the World Hepatitis Alliance, then to July 28 in 2010 for global alignment.
Objectives: Raise awareness, promote testing, vaccination, and treatment, and reduce stigma to eliminate hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030.

India’s Burden: With 2–4% HBV prevalence, India is in the intermediate endemic range. The Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) includes HBV vaccination since 2007, but awareness and adult coverage remain low.
Initiatives:
- National Viral Hepatitis Control Program (NVHCP), launched in 2018, provides free testing and treatment for HBV and HCV, targeting high-risk groups like pregnant women and blood transfusion recipients.
- Community campaigns: Free screening camps, webinars, and social media drives (e.g., #HepCantWait) raise awareness.
Global Efforts: WHO promotes vaccination (only 45% of babies receive HBV vaccine within 24 hours), safe injection practices, and antiviral treatments (e.g., HCV cure rates exceed 95%). Egypt reduced HCV prevalence through coordinated action.

World Health Organization (WHO): Leads global health campaigns, including World Hepatitis Day, one of 11 official health days, and sets the 2030 elimination goal via the Global Health Sector Strategy on Viral Hepatitis.
World Hepatitis Alliance (WHA): A 400-member NGO network across 120 countries, coordinating awareness events like torchlight processions and landmark illuminations (e.g., Burj Khalifa in yellow and blue).
Hepatitis Types:
- A and E: Spread via contaminated food/water, cause acute infections (78,000 deaths in 2019).
- B and C: Spread via blood, unsafe injections, or mother-to-child, cause chronic infections and liver cancer.
- D: Only infects HBV carriers, classified as carcinogenic in 2025 by IARC.
India’s NVHCP: Managed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, it integrates hepatitis care into primary health centers and addresses stigma.

Theme 2025: “Hepatitis: Let’s Break It Down”, focusing on removing stigma, financial barriers, and improving access to testing and treatment.
India’s Challenge: 40 million HBV, 6–12 million HCV cases; NVHCP offers free services, but awareness is low.
Global Impact: 304 million live with chronic hepatitis, causing 1.3 million deaths/year; vaccines and treatments exist but are underutilized.
Action: Promote testing, HBV vaccination, and awareness to achieve a hepatitis-free future.

Definition: World Hepatitis Day (July 28) raises awareness about viral hepatitis (A, B, C, D, E) to eliminate it by 2030.
Theme 2025: “Hepatitis: Let’s Break It Down”, emphasizing simplified services and stigma reduction.
India’s Role: NVHCP, UIP, and community campaigns address high prevalence in Bihar, Punjab, and tribal areas.
Static Linkages: WHO, WHA, NVHCP, and Dr. Blumberg’s contributions (Nobel Prize, 1976).
Challenges: Low testing rates (26% for HBV, 45% for HCV), stigma, high costs, and inadequate adult vaccination.