New Global Reports Assess Progress Toward Hepatitis B and C Elimination
The Coalition for Global Hepatitis Elimination (CGHE) announced the publication of two landmark reports in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology, offering the most comprehensive global assessment to date of national policies, programs, and progress toward the elimination of hepatitis B and hepatitis C.
The reports, A 2024 Global Report on National Policy, Programs and Progress towards Hepatitis B Elimination and A 2024 Global Report on National Policies, Programs and Progress towards Hepatitis C Elimination, analyze findings from Hepatitis Elimination Profiles developed for 33 countries and territories in collaboration with national health officials, healthcare providers, and civil society partners.
“These findings reveal the national commitments, innovative policies and progress, as well as the work remaining to avert over 7 million deaths by eliminating hepatitis,” said Dr. John W. Ward, Director of CGHE, who [announced] the reports at the World Health Assembly in Geneva on May 21. “They offer next steps, developed with local partners, showing how coalitions can come together to scale up prevention, diagnosis, and care. Taken together, the profiles show countries are eliminating hepatitis. Time to work together and increase that number.”
Key Findings: Hepatitis B
- Three-fourths of countries and territories profiled have achieved the 2025 WHO interim target of less than 0.5% HBsAg prevalence in children under five.
- Two-thirds have implemented universal newborn hepatitis B vaccination policies.
- Only 7 countries/territories have met the 60% diagnosis target. Most countries reaching the diagnosis goal are high-income.
- No countries/territories have achieved the treatment target of 50% of persons with hepatitis B receiving treatment.
- Coverage of hepatitis B birth dose in the African region must be scaled-up to meet elimination goals.
Key Findings: Hepatitis C
- Every country profiled has a national action plan for hepatitis C or is developing one.
- Systems to track mortality (33%), incidence (48%), and testing and treatment (55%) are still insufficient.
- Barriers persist:
— 30% have met the WHO 2025 diagnosis target due in part to a lack of expanded screening recommendations, limited access to point-of-care testing, and requirements for patient copays for screening
— 15% have met the treatment target, a result of limiting the providers who can prescribe treatment, requiring unnecessary treatment initiation criteria, and high costs
— 25% have met the harm reduction target for needle and syringe programs, with many countries in need of increased prioritization for people who injects drugs
The Hepatitis Elimination Profiles are designed to guide national planning, support advocacy efforts, and inform funding strategies to help countries meet the WHO 2030 elimination targets.
Dr. Imam Waked, Professor of Medicine at Egypt’s National Liver Institute, explains how the profiles are used in his country:
“We have utilized the profile for Egypt to highlight our achievements in hepatitis C elimination compared to other countries and to emphasize to policymakers and stakeholders the need for increased focus and policy interventions in managing hepatitis B. I have seen the profiles evolve into a reliable source of data and reference material, frequently cited in academic presentations and publications.”
Maria Buti Ferret, report co-author and Professor of Medicine and Chief of Internal Medicine and Hepatology at the Hospital General Universitari Valle Hebron, Barcelona, adds:
"The National Hepatitis Elimination Profiles informing these reports are powerful tools that highlight progress, pinpoint gaps, and set priorities in the global response to hepatitis B and C. They offer a clear view of where we are and where urgent action is needed—guiding targeted efforts, resource mobilization, and equitable, evidence-based strategies toward elimination.”
And Prof. Loreta Kondili, co-author and Senior Researcher at the Center for Global Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità in Rome notes:
"The goal to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030 is technically achievable, but progress is dangerously uneven. In 2022, hepatitis B affected 254 million people and caused 1.1 million deaths, while hepatitis C affected 50 million people, with approximately 240,000 deaths from liver-related complications. However, public awareness of viral hepatitis remains low in most countries. Many people are unaware they are at risk, while stigma, often driven by misconceptions linking infection to marginalised behaviours, continues to silence voices, prevent testing, and delay care. Raising awareness and reducing stigma must be central pillars of every national elimination plan.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution. National responses must be tailored to each country’s disease burden, health system readiness, and vulnerable population needs. However, one principle holds everywhere: elimination will remain a rhetorical goal without sustained political will and dedicated funding streams. We must urgently invest in public education, ensure equitable access to services, and uphold dignity in care delivery, because hepatitis is curable, preventable, and still killing too many unnecessarily.”
To read the full reports in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology, visit
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langas/article/PIIS2468-1253(25)00069-X/abstract
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langas/article/PIIS2468-1253(25)00068-8/abstract
To view the Hepatitis Elimination Profiles, visit https://www.globalhep.org/tools-resources/view-national-hepatitis-elimination-profiles
About the Coalition for Global Hepatitis Elimination
The Coalition for Global Hepatitis Elimination, a program of the Task Force for Global Health, is a nonprofit bringing together global partners to achieve worldwide elimination of viral hepatitis. The Coalition supports local capacity by expanding the necessary knowledge base, providing technical assistance, and mobilizing commitment to achieve elimination goals.