The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday, revealed that approximately 3,500 individuals succumb to hepatitis infections daily, contributing to a steady rise in the global death toll.
The latest data from 187 countries, released in conjunction with the World Hepatitis Summit in Portugal, indicated a notable increase in hepatitis-related deaths, reaching 1.3 million in 2022 compared to 1.1 million in 2019.
Meg Doherty, head of WHO’s global HIV, hepatitis, and sexually transmitted infection programs, emphasized the urgency of the situation during a press conference, describing it as alarming.
According to the report, “there are 3,500 deaths per day worldwide from hepatitis infections — 83 percent from hepatitis B, 17 percent from hepatitis C.”
While effective and affordable generic drugs exist to treat these viruses, the report highlighted that only three percent of individuals with chronic hepatitis B received antiviral treatment by the end of 2022.
For Hepatitis C, treatment was provided to 20 percent, or 12.5 million people, falling significantly short of the global targets to treat 80 percent of all individuals living with chronic hepatitis B and C by 2030.
Although there was a slight decrease in the overall rate of hepatitis infections, the WHO emphasized the urgent need for intensified efforts to combat this second-largest infectious killer worldwide.