Nigeria is among several countries highlighted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as major contributors to global hepatitis-related deaths in 2024, amid ongoing efforts to curb the disease.
In a Tuesday release, the WHO said viral hepatitis B and C, responsible for about 95 per cent of hepatitis-related deaths globally, caused an estimated 1.34 million deaths in 2024. It added that more than 4,900 new infections occur daily, or about 1.8 million annually.
The agency identified 10 countries accounting for 69 per cent of hepatitis B-related deaths, including Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, the Philippines, South Africa and Viet Nam. For hepatitis C, it said 10 countries, including China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Russian Federation, South Africa, the United States and Viet Nam, accounted for 58 per cent of global deaths.
The 2026 Global Hepatitis Report showed progress since 2015, including a 32 per cent drop in new hepatitis B infections and a 12 per cent decline in hepatitis C-related deaths. It also noted that hepatitis B prevalence among children under five has fallen to 0.6 per cent, with 85 countries meeting or exceeding the 2030 target of 0.1 per cent.
WHO Director-General, Tedros Ghebreyesus, said elimination is possible but progress remains uneven.
“Around the world, countries are showing that eliminating hepatitis is not a pipedream”, he said, stressing that sustained political commitment and funding are essential. He warned that many people remain undiagnosed or untreated due to stigma, weak health systems and unequal access to care.
The report estimated 287 million people were living with chronic hepatitis B or C in 2024. It also said 0.9 million people were newly infected with hepatitis B, with Africa accounting for 68 per cent of cases, while only 17 per cent of newborns in the region received the hepatitis B birth-dose vaccine.
For hepatitis C, about 0.9 million new infections were recorded, with people who inject drugs accounting for 44 per cent. Despite effective curative treatment, fewer than 5 per cent of hepatitis B patients are on treatment, while about 20 per cent of hepatitis C patients have been treated since 2015.
The WHO said 1.1 million people died from hepatitis B and 240,000 from hepatitis C in 2024, with liver cirrhosis and liver cancer as leading causes of death, and urged stronger vaccination, testing and treatment to accelerate progress toward elimination targets.
