Increasing knowledge of, and access to testing for, hepatitis

A staggering 95% of people infected with hepatitis B or C do not know they are infected, often living without symptoms for many years. Ahead of World Hepatitis Day, 28 July 2016, WHO and its partner, Social Entrepreneurship for Sexual Health (SeSH), recently launched a global contest to find innovative ways to reach different populations and encourage testing for hepatitis.

World Health Organisation urges countries to take rapid action to improve knowledge about hepatitis, and to increase access to testing and treatment services. Today, only 1 in 20 people with hepatitis know they have it. And just 1 in 100 with the disease is being treated. “The world has ignored hepatitis at its peril,” said Dr Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General. “It is time to mobilize a global response to hepatitis on the scale similar to that generated to fight other like HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.”