Nigeria accounts for significant global hepatitis deaths – WHO

The World Health Organization's latest report paints a grim picture for Nigeria, identifying it as a major contributor to global hepatitis-related deaths. This stark reality underscores the persistent challenges within the nation's healthcare system, particularly in combating viral hepatitis B and C.

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Around the world, countries are showing that eliminating hepatitis is not a pipedream; it’s possible with sustained political commitment, backed by reliable domestic financing.

The statistics are alarming: 1.34 million deaths globally from these diseases in 2024, with Nigeria featuring prominently among the top ten countries for hepatitis B deaths. Compounding this crisis, Africa accounts for a staggering 68% of new hepatitis B infections, and a mere 17% of newborns in the region receive the crucial birth-dose vaccine. This highlights a critical gap in preventative measures and public health infrastructure.

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At the same time, this report shows that progress is too slow and uneven. Many people remain undiagnosed and untreated due to stigma, weak health systems and inequitable access to care.

While the WHO acknowledges global progress, including a decline in new infections and deaths since 2015, the unevenness of this progress is a cause for concern. The report's findings on Nigeria serve as a wake-up call, emphasizing that the tools for elimination exist, but sustained political commitment and robust domestic financing are essential. The stigma, weak health systems, and inequitable access to care that plague many Nigerians must be addressed urgently if the 2030 targets are to be met. The nation's health authorities must redouble their efforts to ensure widespread diagnosis and treatment, moving beyond mere acknowledgment of the problem to decisive action.

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While we have the tools to eliminate hepatitis as a public health threat, urgent scale-up of prevention, diagnosis and treatment is needed if the world is to meet the 2030 targets.