India 2nd only to China in viral hepatitis cases: WHO

New Delhi, April 10

India accounts for the second highest number of viral hepatitis cases in the world, the first being China. According to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Global Hepatitis Report 2024, over 2.9 crore cases of hepatitis B and 5.5 lakh cases of hepatitis C are in India.

Despite the high caseload, the report said only 2.4 per cent of the hepatitis B cases were diagnosed in India and none received treatment. For hepatitis C, the coverage of diagnostics and treatment was found to be better in India, with 28 per cent being diagnosed and 21 per cent receiving treatment.

Blood-borne infection

• Hepatitis B is an infection of the liver caused by the hepatitis B virus. The infection can be acute (short and severe) or chronic (long term)
• It can cause chronic infection and put people at high risk of death from cirrhosis and liver cancer
• Hepatitis C virus is a blood-borne virus and most infections occur through exposure to blood from unsafe injection practices, unsafe health care, unscreened blood transfusions, injection drug use and sexual practices that lead to exposure to blood

China, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Philippines and Russia share a major caseload of hepatitis infection. The report said public health response to viral hepatitis had been severely underfunded to date. It highlighted that if the response towards containing the disease was not scaled up, viral hepatitis-related cancer cases, mortality and costs would increase for the next generation.

“Political action supported by investment cases for a public health approach are needed in 2024 and 2025 in the African region and in the 10 countries that comprise nearly two-thirds of the estimated global disease burden of the viral hepatitis — China, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Philippines and Russia,” the report said.

It said scaling up prevention and treatment in these countries by 2026, together with a special focus on the African region, would enable the global response to regain the trajectory needed to achieve the sustainable development goals.

The coverage remains poor despite the fact that several Indian companies manufacture generic versions of the drugs as well as diagnostics. In fact, the cost of the treatment with different combinations of drugs in India remains one of the lowest, as per the report.

According to the report, half the burden of chronic hepatitis B and C infections is among people 30-54 years old, with 12 per cent among children under 18 years of age. Men account for 58 per cent of all cases.