ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has the highest number of Hepatitis C patients in the world, accounting for almost 20 per cent of the global Hepatitis C burden, while neighbouring China carries around 30 per cent of the world’s Hepatitis B burden, according to a new World Health Organisation (WHO) report.
The WHO’s Global Health Sector Strategies on HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections 2022-2030: 2026 Mid-term Progress Report says Pakistan and China will be pivotal to the world’s ability to achieve the 2030 target of reducing hepatitis-related deaths by 65 per cent, as both countries have announced ambitious plans to rapidly expand diagnosis and treatment.
The report notes that viral hepatitis remains one of the few major communicable diseases for which mortality continues to rise despite the availability of highly effective vaccines against Hepatitis B and curative treatment for Hepatitis C. In 2024 alone, an estimated 1.3 million people died from hepatitis-related cirrhosis and liver cancer worldwide, including 1.1 million from Hepatitis B and 240,000 from Hepatitis C.
Globally, around 240 million people were living with chronic Hepatitis B infection and 47 million with viraemic Hepatitis C infection in 2024. However, only 27 per cent of people with chronic Hepatitis B and 36 per cent of those with Hepatitis C had been diagnosed, while treatment coverage remained critically low at just 4.3 per cent for Hepatitis B and 20 per cent for Hepatitis C, leaving millions without life-saving care.
According to the WHO, Hepatitis B-related deaths have increased by 17 per cent since 2015 despite the availability of lifelong antiviral therapy, while deaths from Hepatitis C have declined by only 12 per cent, reflecting the slow pace of diagnosis and treatment worldwide. The report warns that the world remains off track to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030 unless testing and treatment are expanded rapidly, particularly in countries carrying the largest disease burden.
The report identifies Pakistan as the country with the largest number of people living with viraemic Hepatitis C, accounting for almost one-fifth of the global total, while China has the largest number of people living with chronic Hepatitis B infection, representing about 30 per cent of the world’s burden. It says accelerated treatment in these two countries alone could substantially influence global progress towards hepatitis elimination.
Against this backdrop, Pakistan has launched the Prime Minister’s National Hepatitis C Elimination Programme, which aims to screen more than 164 million people aged 12 years and above in phases and provide free treatment to everyone diagnosed with the infection.
However, despite free screening and treatment, public response has remained poor. Only around 21,000 people voluntarily underwent Hepatitis C screening in Islamabad during the first month of the programme, prompting concern within the Ministry of National Health Services.
Expressing frustration over the low public turnout while addressing a World Hepatitis Day ceremony, Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said the government could not eliminate Hepatitis C unless people themselves come forward for screening.
“Nearly one month has passed but hardly 21,000 people have got themselves screened. Screening and treatment are completely free, yet people are not getting themselves screened. We cannot force people to get screened at gunpoint,” the minister said.
He announced that the government was preparing legislation to make HIV and Hepatitis B and C screening mandatory before every surgical procedure and invasive medical intervention. He added that the government was also considering making Hepatitis C screening compulsory for people visiting public and private healthcare facilities.
Kamal said more than 10 million Pakistanis were living with Hepatitis C and around 110,000 new infections occur every year. He said the government was bearing the full cost of diagnosis and treatment, with screening worth about Rs7,000 and a standard three-month treatment course costing approximately Rs34,000 being provided free of charge.
