Message from WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Mohamed Janabi
On World Hepatitis Day today, we turn our attention to a crisis that remains dangerously under-recognized: the continued toll of viral hepatitis across the African continent. This year’s theme, Hepatitis: Let’s Break It Down, challenges us to dismantle the many barriers – medical, structural and social – that prevent millions from accessing the care they need.
Today, more than 70 million people in the World Health Organization (WHO) African Region are living with chronic hepatitis B or C. Every statistic is a person whose future is under threat from a disease that is both preventable and treatable.
Yet, fewer than 1 in 10 have been diagnosed or are receiving treatment.
Our region bears a disproportionate burden. We account for 63% of all new hepatitis B infections globally, a reflection of deep and persistent inequities in access to vaccination, testing and treatment. Too many people continue to face stigma, misinformation and delayed or missed opportunities for prevention and care.
When left unchecked, viral hepatitis leads to liver cancer, liver failure and premature death, devastating outcomes that we can and must prevent.
We know that progress is possible. In 2024, Namibia achieved WHO silver-tier certification for eliminating mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B, joining a small but growing number of countries taking decisive action. This means that thousands of mothers now have the assurance that their babies are starting life protected. It is a powerful reminder that with political commitment, investment and innovation, change is within reach.
Across the region, more countries are now integrating hepatitis services into HIV, maternal and primary health care programmes. Community health workers are reaching families with information and support. And national campaigns are helping reduce stigma and raise awareness.
As WHO, we are proud to support these efforts. We are working with countries to scale up access to affordable testing and antiviral treatment, to introduce the hepatitis B birth-dose vaccine, and to strengthen primary health care so that no one is left behind.
But we must go further, and we must go faster.
To effectively break down hepatitis in the African Region, we must:
- Ensure that every child receives the hepatitis B birth dose, ideally within 24 hours of birth.
- Integrate hepatitis testing and treatment into routine primary health care.
- Secure sustainable domestic financing to support national hepatitis plans.
- Combat stigma and misinformation through public education and community-led engagement.
- Protect people living with hepatitis from discrimination in health care, employment and society.
Governments have a central role to play. It is time to prioritize hepatitis elimination in national health agendas, and to put in place the policies and systems needed to deliver care at scale. We also call on international partners to step up support so that every country can access the tools, technologies and treatments required to end this epidemic.
On this World Hepatitis Day, let’s remember that behind every number is a name, behind every challenge is an opportunity, and behind every barrier is the potential for change. We have the knowledge. We have the tools. What we need now is the will.
Together, we can break down hepatitis, and build a healthier, more hopeful future for all Africans.
Learn more:
- HIV and hepatitis programme managers meet in Kampala to discuss how to close gaps in programmes and integrate NCDs and mental health services
- New step in African region’s efforts to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B
- Tackling the increasing burden of viral hepatitis in South Sudan
- Protecting children against hepatitis B with birth-dose vaccine
- Namibia: Eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV and hepatitis B
- Senegal: Vaccinating newborns against hepatitis B