Every day, approximately 3,500 individuals succumb to the hepatitis virus globally, with the World Health Organization (WHO) noting a continuous increase in the global death toll.
Urgent action is being urged by WHO to combat this second-largest infectious killer on a daily basis.
Data revealed from 187 countries has shown a rise in the number of deaths from viral hepatitis, reaching 1.3 million in 2022 compared to 1.1 million in 2019, as indicated in a WHO report unveiled during the World Hepatitis Summit held in Portugal this week.
During a press conference, Meg Doherty, who heads the WHO’s global HIV, hepatitis, and sexually transmitted infection programs, expressed deep concern about the alarming situation.
The report highlights that globally there are 3,500 daily deaths from hepatitis infections, with 83 percent attributed to hepatitis B and 17 percent to hepatitis C.
It emphasizes the existence of effective and affordable generic drugs for treating these viruses, revealing that by the end of 2020, only three percent of individuals with chronic hep B had received antiviral treatment.
Regarding Hepatitis C, the report mentions that only 20 percent, equivalent to 12.5 million people, have undergone treatment, falling significantly short of the global targets to treat 80 percent of all individuals living with chronic hepatitis B and C by 2030.
Despite a slight decrease in the overall rate of hepatitis infections, the battle against the virus is far from over.