Every year on July 28, World Hepatitis Day serves as both a reminder of an under-discussed health crisis, and a call to action.

Viral hepatitis is now the deadliest communicable disease, claiming more than a million lives annually. An estimated 300 million people worldwide are living with hepatitis B or C, yet the majority of cases go undetected until the virus has caused irreversible damage.

Hepatitis is the leading cause of liver cancer, but most people are unaware of the connection. Liver cancer diagnosis rates are expected to double by 2040.

Hepatitis is a global health emergency. Why are we still waiting for action?

Get the facts.

Hepatitis doesn’t discriminate. It affects people regardless of geography, income, or background. Yet it is often discriminated against. The stigma around hepatitis is real and it’s stopping progress.

In Europe, research by the World Hepatitis Alliance and the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention found that almost half of people living with hepatitis B or C struggle to disclose their condition to others for fear of the judgement they might receive.

Many avoid healthcare settings due to fear of being treated differently to other patients. This becomes even more challenging for groups at higher risk of exposure to hepatitis, such as people who use drugs, who already experience social marginalisation.

Nobody should be deterred from seeking potentially lifesaving support for hepatitis. And it is a particularly shameful irony that we already have everything that could help them.

Take action.

Hepatitis elimination is possible. Vaccines have dramatically reduced hepatitis B rates in countries with robust immunisation programs. Through antiviral treatments, hepatitis C can be cured. Early testing and intervention can prevent both diseases from progressing to liver cancer.

What is missing is not science, but the political will to implement elimination programmes. Governments worldwide must commit to prioritising hepatitis, to improving public understanding, and to making testing and treatment universally available.

Equally vital is to put people with lived experience at the heart of these efforts through expanded community-based services and prevention strategies. As critical allies, they can help reduce stigma and shape healthcare that meets the real needs of individuals and communities.

Let’s break it down.

The World Hepatitis Alliance, our partners, allies, and over 400 members in more than 120 countries demand change. This World Hepatitis Day, let’s break down the barriers holding us back from a hepatitis-free world.

Let’s break it down so that decision makers become advocates; so that we can finally end the stigma for people living with hepatitis; and so that everyone can get hepatitis testing, treatment and vaccination.

Let’s break it down so everyone sees that hepatitis elimination is not only possible but achievable – if we all work together to make it happen.