The WHO reports new data from 187 countries showing an increase in the estimated number of deaths from viral hepatitis from 1.1 million in 2019 to 1.3 million in 2022.

Of those deaths, 83 percent were caused by hepatitis B, and the remaining 17 percent by hepatitis C.

Based on the UN specialized agency’s World Hepatitis Report 2024, the number of lives lost due to viral hepatitis is increasing, and the disease is the second leading infectious cause of death globally along with tuberculosis.

The report, published at the World Hepatitis Summit, which runs until Thursday in Lisbon, Portugal, highlights that despite the existence of better diagnostic and treatment tools, and the decrease in the price of products, the rates of testing and therapeutic coverage have reached a steady level.

As explained by the WHO, it is still possible to achieve the goal of eliminating this disease by 2030, if rapid measures are taken now.

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