Bangladesh is among the 10 countries with the highest numbers of people living with hepatitis C globally, the World Health Organization said on Monday, calling for urgent action to expand access to prevention, testing and treatment.
The UN health agency made the call ahead of World Hepatitis Day, observed on 28 July, warning that barriers to timely diagnosis and care continue to leave millions without essential services.
Chronic viral hepatitis remains one of the world’s leading infectious disease killers, causing an estimated 1.3 million deaths annually, mainly from liver cirrhosis and liver cancer, the WHO said.
Hepatitis B and C account for around 95 per cent of all viral hepatitis deaths and cause approximately 6,000 new infections and 3,500 deaths worldwide every day.
An estimated 43 million people are living with viral hepatitis in the WHO South-East Asia Region. In 2024, the region recorded around 2,66,000 new hepatitis B and C infections and 2,00,000 hepatitis-related deaths.
In Bangladesh, the prevalence of active hepatitis C infection among the general population is estimated at around 0.6 per cent. However, the burden is substantially higher among key populations and vulnerable and underserved groups, including Rohingya refugees.
The country also carries a high hepatitis B burden and is among the 10 countries that together accounted for 69 per cent of hepatitis B-related deaths worldwide in 2024.
The WHO said the high burden persisted despite the availability of vaccines to prevent hepatitis B and effective treatments to manage hepatitis B and cure hepatitis C, highlighting significant barriers to access.
“Hepatitis is preventable, treatable and, in the case of hepatitis C, curable. Yet too many people continue to miss out on the services they need because they are diagnosed too late or cannot access timely testing and treatment,” said WHO Representative to Bangladesh Ahmed Jamsheed Mohamed.
“This World Hepatitis Day, WHO calls for accelerated action to break down the barriers that continue to prevent people from accessing lifesaving hepatitis prevention, testing and treatment services.”
Bangladesh has demonstrated a strong commitment to eliminating viral hepatitis as a public health threat through the National Strategic Plan 2020–2030, strengthened hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination, expanded testing and treatment services, and evidence-based policymaking, the WHO said.
Supported by the agency’s technical assistance, these measures are helping the country move towards its goal of eliminating viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030.
However, low public awareness, late diagnosis, limited access to affordable testing and treatment, stigma and discrimination, and uneven availability of services continue to restrict access, particularly for key populations and vulnerable groups.
The WHO identified four priority areas requiring sustained and coordinated action.
It called for stronger prevention through sustained hepatitis B vaccination coverage, including timely birth-dose vaccination, safe blood transfusion and injection practices, and clear public awareness campaigns.
The agency also recommended expanding testing and treatment by integrating hepatitis services into primary healthcare, antenatal care, blood services, and HIV and tuberculosis programmes.
Such integration would help increase early diagnosis and ensure equitable access to testing, treatment and care, particularly for vulnerable and underserved populations, it said.
The WHO further called for decentralising and scaling up services by making simplified hepatitis C treatment available beyond specialist facilities and ensuring access to affordable diagnostics and medicines.
Simplified care models could reduce delays in diagnosis and treatment, improve treatment uptake and bring quality services closer to people’s homes and communities, it said.
The agency also stressed the need to strengthen surveillance and data systems through routine recording of hepatitis testing, confirmed infections, treatment outcomes, cirrhosis and liver cancer.
High-quality data are essential for assessing the disease burden, identifying high-risk populations, guiding policy and investment, and tracking Bangladesh’s progress towards the 2030 elimination target, it added.
“Bangladesh has demonstrated strong commitment to tackling viral hepatitis and is well positioned to accelerate progress towards elimination,” Jamsheed said.
“WHO is proud to support the government’s efforts and will continue to provide technical assistance to expand access to prevention, testing and treatment, strengthen health systems and ensure that no one is left behind.”
The WHO said expanding access to prevention, testing and treatment could save lives, reduce the burden of liver disease and accelerate Bangladesh’s progress towards eliminating viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030.
