Bangladesh among 10 countries with highest hepatitis C cases: WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for urgent action in Bangladesh to expand access to hepatitis prevention, testing and treatment by breaking down the barriers that continue to prevent millions of people from receiving the care they need.

The WHO made the call ahead of the World Hepatitis Day that falls on July 28.

Bangladesh is among the 10 countries with the highest numbers of people living with hepatitis C globally, said the UN agency on Monday.

Chronic viral hepatitis remains one of the world's leading infectious disease killers, causing an estimated 1.3 million deaths every year, mainly from liver cirrhosis and liver cancer.

Hepatitis B and C account for approximately 95% of all viral hepatitis deaths and continue to spread silently,  resulting in around 6000 new infections and 3500 deaths worldwide every day.

In the WHO South-East Asia Region, an estimated 43 million people are living with viral hepatitis.

In 2024 the Region recorded an estimated 266 000 new hepatitis B and C infections and 200 000 hepatitis-related deaths.

The prevalence of active hepatitis C infection in the general population is estimated at approximately 0.6%, although the burden is substantially higher among key populations and other vulnerable and underserved populations, including Rohingya refugees.

Bangladesh also bears a high burden of hepatitis B and is among the 10 countries that together accounted for 69% of hepatitis B-related deaths worldwide in 2024.

This is despite the availability of vaccination to prevent hepatitis B and effective treatments to manage hepatitis B and cure hepatitis C, highlighting significant barriers to access.

"Hepatitis is preventable, treatable and, in the case of hepatitis C, curable. Yet too many people continue to miss out on the services they need because they are diagnosed too late or cannot

access timely testing and treatment," said Dr Ahmed Jamsheed Mohamed, WHO Representative to Bangladesh.

"This World Hepatitis Day, WHO calls for accelerated action to break down the

barriers that continue to prevent people from accessing lifesaving hepatitis prevention, testing and treatment services."

Bangladesh has in recent years demonstrated strong commitment to eliminating viral hepatitis as a public health threat through the development of the National Strategic Plan 2020–2030,  strengthened hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination, expanded testing and treatment services, and the generation of evidence to inform policy and action.

Supported by WHO's technical assistance, these efforts are helping accelerate progress towards the national goal of eliminating viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030.

However, significant barriers continue to limit access to hepatitis services, including low public awareness, late diagnosis, limited access to affordable testing and treatment, stigma and discrimination, and the uneven availability of hepatitis services, particularly for key populations and vulnerable and underserved populations.

Four Priority Areas

Overcoming these barriers requires sustained, coordinated action across four priority areas, said the WHO on Monday.

First, strengthening hepatitis prevention by sustaining high hepatitis B vaccination coverage, including timely birth-dose vaccination, ensuring safe blood transfusion and injection practices,  and raising public awareness of hepatitis prevention through accurate, clear and actionable public messaging.

Second, expanding access to hepatitis testing and treatment by integrating hepatitis services into primary health care, antenatal care, blood services and HIV and tuberculosis programmes.

Integrating hepatitis into routine health services will increase early diagnosis and ensure that more people, particularly key populations and other vulnerable and underserved populations, have equitable access to testing, treatment and care.

Third, decentralizing and scaling up hepatitis services by making simplified hepatitis C treatment available beyond specialist facilities and ensuring access to affordable diagnostics and medicines.

Simplified models of care can reduce delays in diagnosis and treatment, improve treatment uptake and enable more people to access quality hepatitis services closer to their homes and communities.

Fourth, strengthening hepatitis surveillance and data systems through routine recording of hepatitis testing, confirmed infections, treatment outcomes, cirrhosis and liver cancer.

High-quality data are essential to understanding the burden of disease, identifying populations at greatest risk, guiding policy and investment decisions, and monitoring Bangladesh's progress towards eliminating viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030.

"Bangladesh has demonstrated strong commitment to tackling viral hepatitis and is well positioned to accelerate progress towards elimination," said Dr Ahmed Jamsheed Mohamed.

"WHO is proud to support the Government's efforts and will continue to provide technical assistance to expand access to prevention, testing and treatment, strengthen health systems and ensure that no one is left behind."

As the world marks World Hepatitis Day 2026, the opportunity to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat has never been greater.

By expanding access to prevention, testing and treatment, Bangladesh can save lives, reduce the burden of liver disease and accelerate progress towards the 2030 elimination goal.