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World Hepatitis Day 2016

28 July 2016

The 28th July 2016 is World Hepatitis Day. It is estimated that globally, 400 million people live with hepatitis B and C infections, and 1.4 million people die from these infections each year, even though viral hepatitis can be prevented and treated.

At the May 2016 World Health Assembly, 194 governments adopted the first ever Global Health Sector Strategy on viral hepatitis and agreed the following targets:

  • Treat 8 million people for hepatitis B or C by 2020.
  • Reduce new infections by 90% and number of deaths by 65% by 2030.

Key Messages of the World Hepatitis Day 2016 Campaign

The World Health Organisation (WHO) campaign this year ‘Know Hepatitis - Act Now’ urges countries to take action to increase awareness of the disease and increase access to testing and treatment.

Act now

Better knowledge and information on how infection can be transmitted, ways to avoid infection and the importance of testing and treatment are paramount.

Are you at risk?

A group of infectious diseases known as hepatitis A, B, C and E affect hundreds of millions of people worldwide, cause acute and chronic liver disease and kill close to 1.4 million people every year, mostly from hepatitis B and C.

Hepatitis B and C infections are transmitted:

  • Through unsafe sex.
  • Through contaminated needles and syringes in the healthcare setting in lower income countries.
  • Through contaminated needles and syringes among people who inject drugs.
  • From infected mother to newborn child.

Get tested

It is estimated that only 1 in 20 individuals with viral hepatitis are aware that they have it and that only 1 in 100 people with the disease receives treatment for it. This is due to both lack of awareness and poor access to medical facilities. Better information and access to testing and treatment is needed to stop onward transmission.

Demand treatment

Effective vaccine and treatment for hepatitis B already exists. 90% of patients with hepatitis C can be cured within 2 – 6 months with the use of direct-acting antivirals. Appropriate treatment of hepatitis B and C can prevent the development of long term and life-threatening conditions such as cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer.

Further Information

To find out more about World Hepatitis Day:

Advice and Information for Travellers

Further information on the diseases can be found on Travax in the Disease pages:

In addition, country specific recommendations for vaccination against hepatitis A and hepatitis B can be found on individual country pages and advice on disease prevention can be found under Vaccine Preventable Diseases.

Travellers can access information themselves through fitfortravel under: