World Hepatitis Day was observed on July 28, 2026, with the theme “Hepatitis: Let’s Break It Down”, a call to remove the barriers that stand between people and life-saving hepatitis services. The day, led by the World Health Organization (WHO), spotlights viral hepatitis, an inflammation of the liver that is preventable, treatable and, in some forms, curable, yet still kills over a million people every year. Observed annually since 2008, the day aims to push the world closer to eliminating viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030.
World Hepatitis Day 2026: Theme and Focus
The 2026 campaign theme, “Hepatitis: Let’s Break It Down”, is not about the disease alone. It is about dismantling the obstacles that keep millions from diagnosis and care. The WHO points out that the tools to eliminate viral hepatitis already exist: effective vaccines, accurate diagnostics, curative treatments for hepatitis C, and lifelong therapies for hepatitis B. Despite this, millions of people remain undiagnosed, untreated, or unable to access services because of stigma, low awareness, weak health systems and persistent inequalities.
The campaign asks governments, health authorities and communities to do five things: leverage proven science and policies, put affected people at the centre of the response, ensure equitable access to services, integrate hepatitis care into universal health coverage, and accelerate research and innovation. For the public, the message is simple and direct: get tested for hepatitis B and C, vaccinate newborns within 24 hours of birth, and share accurate information to help end stigma.
For policy-makers, the WHO wants stronger political commitment and sustained funding, expanded birth-dose vaccination, safe blood and injection practices, and hepatitis services embedded in primary health care and national insurance schemes. The focus on breaking down barriers is a recognition that medical solutions alone cannot end the epidemic; they must reach the people who need them most.
Why July 28? The Blumberg Connection
The date was chosen to honour the birthday of Dr Baruch Samuel Blumberg (1925-2011), an American physician and geneticist who discovered the hepatitis B virus and developed the first diagnostic test and vaccine for it. Blumberg found the virus while studying inherited variations in blood proteins, a search that led him to the so-called Australia antigen in 1963, which turned out to be the surface protein of the hepatitis B virus. His work earned him the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1976, which he shared with Daniel Carleton Gajdusek.
Blumberg’s vaccine, which became available in the early 1980s, is widely described as the first vaccine capable of preventing a human cancer, because chronic hepatitis B infection is a leading cause of liver cancer. This is why the hepatitis B vaccine is often called the first anti-cancer vaccine. World Hepatitis Day falls on July 28, the date of his birth, in lasting recognition of his contribution to global public health.
How the Date Evolved Over Time
The journey to a single global day took several turns. The first awareness event, the International Hepatitis C Awareness Day, was held on October 1, 2004, but patient groups continued to mark hepatitis days on different dates. In 2008, the World Hepatitis Alliance, working with patient groups, declared May 19 as the first global World Hepatitis Day.
Two years later, at the 63rd World Health Assembly in May 2010, member states adopted a resolution designating July 28 as World Hepatitis Day, in honour of Dr Blumberg. Since then, WHO has formally observed the day on this date, and it is now recognised in more than 100 countries through free screenings, vaccination drives, poster campaigns and awareness programmes. The day is one of the 11 official global public health campaigns marked by the WHO, alongside World Health Day, World Blood Donor Day, World TB Day and World AIDS Day, among others.
What Is Viral Hepatitis? Five Viruses, One Liver
Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver, the organ responsible for filtering toxins, producing bile and storing energy. When the liver is infected and inflamed, it struggles to perform these vital jobs. Viral hepatitis is caused by five distinct viruses, known as A, B, C, D and E, each with its own mode of spread, severity and outcome. Hepatitis A and E spread through contaminated food and water, while B, C and D pass through blood and body fluids.
Hepatitis B, C and D can turn chronic, meaning the infection lingers for years and can silently damage the liver, eventually leading to cirrhosis (scarring of the liver) and liver cancer. In contrast, hepatitis A and E cause acute, short-lived illness that usually resolves on its own. This difference matters enormously, because chronic infections drive most of the deaths and cancers linked to the disease.
The Five Types at a Glance
| Type | Main Route of Transmission | Becomes Chronic? | Vaccine Available? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hepatitis A | Contaminated food and water (faecal-oral route) | No | Yes |
| Hepatitis B | Blood, body fluids, mother to child at birth | Yes | Yes |
| Hepatitis C | Blood-to-blood contact, unsafe injections | Yes | No (curable with medicines) |
| Hepatitis D | Blood and body fluids, only alongside hepatitis B | Yes | No (hepatitis B vaccine offers protection) |
| Hepatitis E | Contaminated water, poor sanitation | Usually no | No (vaccine available in some countries) |
Two details stand out for prevention. First, the hepatitis B vaccine, part of childhood immunisation worldwide, also protects against hepatitis D, since the D virus cannot multiply on its own without B. Second, hepatitis C has no vaccine, but modern oral medicines called direct-acting antivirals can cure more than 95 percent of those infected within a few months, making it one of the few major infections that can be cured completely.
The Global Burden and the 2030 Elimination Goal
The latest WHO figures underline the scale of the problem. In 2024, about 287 million people were living with chronic hepatitis B or C, and 1.3 million people died of these two infections, with hepatitis B accounting for roughly 82 percent of those deaths. The numbers are particularly stark for newborns: only 45 percent of babies worldwide received the hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth, even though an early birth dose is the surest way to stop mother-to-child transmission.
Viral hepatitis is now one of the leading infectious killers in the world, alongside tuberculosis, yet it receives far less attention than comparable diseases. Because hepatitis B and C can remain silent for decades, most infected people do not know they carry the virus, and they miss the chance to protect themselves and others. Chronic hepatitis is also a major cause of liver cancer, making the fight against it inseparable from the fight against cancer.
The elimination target is set for 2030. Under its Global Health Sector Strategies (2022-2030) and the Sustainable Development Goal 3.3, the WHO aims for a 90 percent reduction in new hepatitis B and C infections and a 65 percent reduction in deaths compared with a 2015 baseline. Progress is real but uneven. New hepatitis B infections have fallen by about a third since 2015 thanks to childhood vaccination, yet diagnosis and treatment coverage remain thin, with only a small fraction of those eligible actually receiving treatment. The Global Hepatitis Report 2026, released in April 2026, warns that the world is currently off track to meet the 2030 targets unless testing and treatment are scaled up quickly.
India’s Response to Viral Hepatitis
India carries a heavy share of the global burden. The WHO estimates that around 40 million people in India live with chronic hepatitis B and between 6 and 12 million with chronic hepatitis C. According to the Global Hepatitis Report 2024, India had about 29 million people living with hepatitis B and 5.5 million with hepatitis C, placing it among the countries with the highest burden in the world, second only to China. Hepatitis E, which spreads through contaminated water, remains the most important cause of epidemic hepatitis in the country, while hepatitis A is more common among children.
National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme
India’s flagship response is the National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme (NVHCP), launched on July 28, 2018, fittingly on World Hepatitis Day. Run by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare under the National Health Mission (NHM), the programme aims to eliminate hepatitis C countrywide by 2030 and to sharply reduce the burden of hepatitis B, A and E. It provides free diagnosis and treatment for hepatitis B and C at government health facilities across the country.
The programme works on three pillars: prevention, diagnosis and treatment, and monitoring. Its preventive arm includes awareness generation, immunisation of high-risk groups, safe blood and injection practices, and clean water and sanitation. It also runs a dedicated toll-free helpline (1800-11-6666) for information on prevention, transmission and where to access care. India’s response is aligned with the WHO’s global strategy, which also includes a drive to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B, HIV and syphilis together.
Vaccination and Prevention in India
Vaccination is the backbone of prevention. The hepatitis B vaccine is part of India’s Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP), under which newborns receive a birth dose within 24 hours of delivery, followed by doses at 6, 10 and 14 weeks of age. Pregnant women are screened for hepatitis B so that babies at risk can receive protection at birth. Hepatitis A vaccination is also available, though it is not yet part of the UIP.
For hepatitis C, which has no vaccine, the focus is on testing and cure. Unsafe injections and reused needles have historically driven transmission, which is why injection safety is a major plank of India’s strategy. The WHO has also noted the value of integrating hepatitis testing with existing platforms, such as TB and HIV programmes, to reach people who might otherwise never be screened. On World Hepatitis Day 2026, the message for India was the same as for the rest of the world: most hepatitis deaths are preventable, but only if testing and treatment reach the people silently living with the virus.
Key Takeaways
- World Hepatitis Day is observed on July 28 every year, led by the World Health Organization (WHO), with the 2026 theme “Hepatitis: Let’s Break It Down”.
- The date honours the birthday of Dr Baruch Samuel Blumberg, who discovered the hepatitis B virus and won the 1976 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
- The day was first observed by the World Hepatitis Alliance in 2008 (on May 19), and the World Health Assembly designated July 28 in 2010.
- About 287 million people worldwide lived with chronic hepatitis B or C in 2024, and the infections killed 1.3 million people that year.
- Viral hepatitis has five virus types, A, B, C, D and E; vaccines exist for A and B, while C can be cured with direct-acting antivirals.
- The WHO aims to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030, targeting a 90 percent reduction in new infections and a 65 percent reduction in deaths.
- India launched the National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme (NVHCP) on July 28, 2018, under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, to eliminate hepatitis C by 2030.
