Community Engagement on HCV through Storytelling

287 million people live with viral hepatitis, one of the world’s deadliest infectious disease. Most don’t know it.

Hepatitis often hides without symptoms, so people go undiagnosed until real damage is done. Chronic hepatitis B and C are the top cause of liver cancer, killing over 1.3 million people a year. This is more than any other infectious disease. Nearly two million new infections happen annually.

Yet hepatitis is both preventable and treatable. Fast, accurate tests exist. We already have the tools to eliminate it.

So what’s stopping us? Low awareness, misinformation, and stigma keep people from seeking care and keep leaders from taking action.

On World Hepatitis Day and everyday, Treatment Action Group (TAG) works to break down these barriers. We’re working to realize a world free of hepatitis C for everyone, everywhere.

We produced two storyboards — Beyond the Diagnosis: Mousso’s Victory Over Hepatitis C in Côte d’Ivoire and Sibusiso Dlamini’s Journey with Hepatitis C — using personal stories to bring the realities of hepatitis C (HCV) closer to communities, health providers, and decision-makers.

Through the experiences of HCV affected people, these stories highlight the impact of misinformation, stigma, and fear, while showing that hepatitis C is a curable disease when people can access timely diagnosis and affordable treatment. They also shed light on the financial and practical barriers that many people face, including the cost of diagnosis, treatment, confirmatory testing, and navigating health systems.

Developed as advocacy and community engagement tools, these storyboards aim to challenge misconceptions, promote compassion, harm reduction approaches and support for people living with HCV, and advocate for equitable access to testing, treatment, and care as essential steps toward hepatitis C elimination.

Access the storyboards here.

Source: Treatment Action Group