• World Hepatitis Day is observed every year on July 28 to raise awareness of viral hepatitis, an inflammation of the liver that causes severe liver disease and liver cancer.

• On this day, the WHO called on governments and partners to urgently accelerate efforts to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat and reduce liver cancer deaths.

Hepatitis D now classified as carcinogenic

• Viral hepatitis — types A, B, C, D, and E — are major causes of acute liver infection. 

• Among these only hepatitis B, C, and D can lead to chronic infections that significantly increase the risk of cirrhosis, liver failure, or liver cancer. 

• Yet, most people with hepatitis don’t know they are infected. Types B, C, and D affect over 300 million people globally and cause more than 1.3 million deaths each year, mainly from liver cirrhosis and cancer.

• Every 30 seconds, someone dies from a hepatitis-related severe liver disease or liver cancer. 

• The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) recently classified hepatitis D as carcinogenic to humans, just like hepatitis B and C. 

• Hepatitis D, which only affects individuals infected with hepatitis B, is associated with a two to six-fold higher risk of liver cancer compared to hepatitis B alone. 

• This reclassification marks a critical step in global efforts to raise awareness, improve screening, and expand access to new treatments for hepatitis D.

What is a carcinogen?

A carcinogen is a substance, mixture or agent that can cause cancer or increases the risk of developing cancer. Known carcinogens include viruses, hormones, chemicals, naturally occurring minerals, bacteria, ionising radiation and solar radiation. 

Key points on Hepatitis D:

• Hepatitis D is an inflammation of the liver caused by the hepatitis D virus (HDV), which requires hepatitis B virus (HBV) for its replication. 

• Hepatitis D infection cannot occur in the absence of HBV. 

• HDV–HBV co-infection is considered the most severe form of chronic viral hepatitis due to more rapid progression towards hepatocellular carcinoma and liver-related death. 

• HDV is blood borne and transmitted in the same way as HBV. 

• Transmission may occur through contact with infected human blood or other bodily fluids.

• Simultaneous infection with HBV and HDV can lead to mild-to-severe hepatitis with signs and symptoms indistinguishable from those of other types of acute viral hepatitis infections. These features typically appear 3–7 weeks after initial infection and include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, dark urine, pale-coloured stools, jaundice (yellow eyes) and even fulminant hepatitis.

• Vaccination against hepatitis B can prevent HDV infection.

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