The findings of a new report released by the World Health Organisation (WHO) have posed a big challenge for India. As per the report, India accounted for the second-highest number of cases of hepatitis B and C in 2022 after China, with 3.5 crore infections. According to the WHO's 2024 Global Hepatitis Report released on Tuesday, 254 million people lived with hepatitis B and 50 million with hepatitis C in 2022 globally and the number of lives lost due to viral hepatitis is increasing with the disease being the second leading infectious cause of death globally -- with 1.3 million deaths per year – the same as tuberculosis.
India accounts for 11.6 percent of the total disease burden globally, the report revealed. "Every day, 3,500 people are dying globally due to hepatitis B and C infections," the report released at the World Hepatitis Summit said.
