According to the Global Hepatitis Report 2024, India is one of the countries with the highest prevalence of viral hepatitis disease.
WHO report states that India is second only to China in the cases of Hepatitis B and C.
According to a World Health Organization (WHO) report, India had the second highest number of hepatitis B and C cases after China with 35 million infections in 2022.
Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver that can cause a variety of health problems and can be fatal.
Globally, 254 million people were infected with hepatitis B, and 50 million were infected with hepatitis C in 2022, according to WHO’s 2024 Global Hepatitis Report released on 9 April.
In terms of viral hepatitis, India was second only to China, with 29.8 million hepatitis B cases in 2022 and 5.5 million hepatitis C infections.
China has recorded 83 million cases of hepatitis B and C, accounting for 27.5% of the total disease burden.
According to the report, India accounted for 11.6% of the total disease burden globally that year with a total of 35 million cases.
There are five main types of hepatitis viruses, called types A, B, C, D, and E.
Although they all cause liver disease, they differ in important ways, including methods of transmission, severity of disease, geographic distribution, and methods of prevention.
The report released at the World Hepatitis Summit said that 3,500 people are dying globally due to hepatitis B and C infection every day.
