WHO Urges Africa To Break Barriers To Hepatitis Care

The World Health Organization (WHO) has called on African governments to expand access to hepatitis prevention, testing and treatment, warning that millions of people across the continent remain undiagnosed and untreated despite the availability of effective interventions.

In a message to mark World Hepatitis Day 2026, the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Mohamed Janabi, said no one should die from a disease that can be prevented, diagnosed and, in many cases, treated.

Observed under the theme, “Hepatitis: Let’s break it down,” this year’s campaign urges governments, health workers, partners and communities to remove barriers preventing people from accessing lifesaving hepatitis services.

Although new hepatitis B infections in the WHO African Region have declined by 25 per cent between 2015 and 2024, Dr Janabi said viral hepatitis continues to claim too many lives because millions of people still lack timely diagnosis, treatment and care.

He noted that highly effective hepatitis B vaccines, reliable diagnostic tools, curative treatment for hepatitis C and lifelong treatment for hepatitis B are already available. According to him, integrating these services into primary healthcare systems would save lives, reduce pressure on health services and accelerate progress towards universal health coverage.

Dr Janabi commended the African Region for expanding hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination, advancing efforts to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B, and pioneering hepatitis C elimination initiatives. He, however, stressed that these gains must be sustained and extended across all 47 WHO Member States.

He also highlighted persistent challenges, including low awareness, delayed diagnosis, unequal access to testing and treatment, particularly in underserved communities, and the stigma associated with viral hepatitis.

The WHO Regional Director urged Member States to strengthen national hepatitis programmes, expand vaccination, testing and treatment services, and place communities at the centre of elimination efforts. He also called on development partners to maintain technical and financial support to help countries meet the global target of eliminating viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030.

Dr Janabi reaffirmed WHO’s commitment to supporting African countries in strengthening health systems, expanding equitable access to hepatitis services and preventing new infections across the continent.