Context

According to the 2024 Global Hepatitis Report by the World Health Organization (WHO), India accounted for a significant 11.6 per cent of the world’s hepatitis cases in 2022.

Key Findings from Global Hepatitis Report 2024

• Hepatitis cases in India: This translates to over 35.3 million hepatitis infections in the country, with 29.8 million hepatitis B and 5.5 million hepatitis C cases.
• Global Ranking: India ranked second after China, contributing 27.5 per cent of the global total with 83.8 million cases in 2022. 
  • Together, they accounted for nearly two-thirds of the global burden. Hepatitis is the second leading infectious cause of death globally after tuberculosis.
• Increase in Mortality: The Global Hepatitis Report 2024 documented an increase in the estimated mortality from 1.1 million deaths in 2019 to 1.3 million deaths in 2022.
  • This indicates that the number of hepatitis-related cancer cases and deaths are increasing globally. 
  • Hepatitis B caused 83 percent of these deaths and hepatitis C 17 per cent.  At the same time, about 304 million people were living with viral hepatitis B and C in 2022. 
• Demographic Trends of Infections: Half the burden of chronic hepatitis B and C infection is among people 30–54 years old and men account for 58 per cent of all cases.
• Chronic viral hepatitis can lead to hepatocellular carcinoma, which accounts for 80 per cent of all liver cancer cases and is the third most common cause of cancer deaths worldwide.

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• Diagnosis and Treatment Gaps in Chronic Hepatitis B Infections: Only 13 percent of people living with chronic hepatitis B infection had been diagnosed and close to 3 per cent had received antiviral therapy at the end of 2022. 
• Diagnosis and Treatment Gaps in Chronic Hepatitis B Infections: Only 36 percent of people living with hepatitis C had been diagnosed between 2015 and 2022.
  • Only 20 per cent had received curative treatment highlighting the opportunity for better linkages between diagnosis and provision of care.
• Reasons for Hepatitis C Transmission: Injecting drug use and unsafe medical injections leads to hepatitis C transmission. 
  • Unsafe medical injections alone added 13.8 per cent of new hepatitis C infections globally. Among the 60 countries studied by the WHO, Pakistan accounts for 44 per cent of all new hepatitis C infections attributed to unsafe medical injections.
  • Ten countries, including the United States of America, China, the Russian Federation, India, Ukraine, Italy, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Japan and Pakistan, are responsible for 80 percent of hepatitis C infections acquired through injecting drugs.
• Decrease in Diagnosis: The number of individuals diagnosed with the disease declined from 2.5 million in 2019 to 2.2 million in 2022. 
  • Immunization and safe injections affected bringing the numbers down worldwide. 
• Regional Variations: Due to regional variations, the WHO African Region accounts for 63 per cent of new hepatitis B infections. 
  • Despite that, only 18 percent of newborns receive the hepatitis B vaccination at birth in the region. 
  • Globally, only 45 percent of infants received the vaccination within 24 hours of being born.
  • Hepatitis B and C lead to chronic disease for hundreds of millions of people and together are the most common cause of liver cirrhosis, liver cancer and hepatitis-related deaths.
• Although they all cause liver disease, they differ in important ways, including modes of transmission, severity of the illness, geographical distribution, and prevention methods.

About Hepatitis

• About: Hepatitis means inflammation of the liver. It causes liver diseases, including acute and chronic infections, liver failure, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma.
• Mode of transmission: Infectious sources (virus, food and water contamination, and sexual transmission) and non–infectious sources (heavy alcohol use, toxins, some medications, and certain medical conditions).
• Main strains of Hepatitis: According to WHO, there are five main strains of the hepatitis virus, referred to as types A, B, C, D and E. 
  • Hepatitis A: The Hepatitis A virus causes an infectious liver disease. It is acute, and most symptoms are not recognised, particularly in young people. The symptoms are vomiting, nausea, fever, severe stomach pain, jaundice, and weakness.
  • Hepatitis B is a contagious disease caused by the Hepatitis B virus. It is transmitted through flat, exhausted wounds and contact with an infectious body’s blood, saliva, or secretions. The symptoms are stomach pain, tiredness, and jaundice.
  • Hepatitis C: The Hepatitis C virus causes an infection of the liver. This can be transmitted through infected needles, at birth, through an infected person’s body fluids, or by having sex with several partners, particularly HIV-infected people.
  • Hepatitis D is one of several serious liver illnesses caused by the Hepatitis D virus. It spreads through infected blood or wounds and may occur in association with Hepatitis B.
  • Hepatitis E: This is a waterborne disease caused by a virus. It could be spread through food, water, or tainted blood. It could be acute or persistent.
• Diagnosis and Treatment: Hepatitis B can be prevented through vaccination. There is a need to ensure that all newborns receive complete vaccination and all adults should be offered, who were born before the vaccine was included in the national programme.
  • Hepatitis C is curable with medicines.
• Vaccination: The Hepatitis B vaccine is offered to children under the Universal Immunisation Programme in India, whereas the government’s National viral hepatitis control programme also offers the vaccine to high-risk adults, such as healthcare workers. 
  • Treatment for both Hepatitis B and C is available under the programme, but its reach is limited. 

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Government Interventions For Hepatitis Control

• National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme (NVHCP): The NVHCP was launched in 2018 with the goal of eliminating Hepatitis C by 2030. 
• Hepatitis B Vaccine: Shantha Biotech, situated in Hyderabad, created the first recombinant DNA-based vaccination against Hepatitis B infection.
• COBAS 6800 is an automated coronavirus testing instrument that can also identify viral Hepatitis B and C, among other things.
• Havisure: It is India’s first indigenously developed Hepatitis A vaccine.
• Universal Immunization Programme: Hepatitis B is covered in India’s UIP, which offers free vaccination against eleven vaccine-preventable diseases. 

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