World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued a strong appeal to governments and health partners to accelerate efforts to eliminate viral hepatitis, following the reclassification of hepatitis D as carcinogenic to humans.
The appeal comes as the world commemorates World Hepatitis Day.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a specialised agency of WHO, had recently confirmed that hepatitis D, an infection that only occurs in individuals already infected with Hepatitis B, poses a two- to six-fold higher risk of liver cancer compared to Hepatitis B alone. The agency placed Hepatitis D in the same cancer-causing category as Hepatitis B and C.
WHO described the reclassification as a critical milestone in the global response to hepatitis, emphasising the need for increased awareness, expanded screening, and broader access to treatment. WHO’s incoming Director of Science for Health, Dr Meg Doherty, stated that the organisation was closely monitoring clinical outcomes from new treatments being developed for hepatitis D.
While Hepatitis C can be cured within two to three months using oral medication, and Hepatitis B effectively managed with lifelong therapy, treatment options for Hepatitis D remain limited. Doherty stressed that the full benefits of new treatments could only be realised through the urgent scale-up of services such as vaccination, testing, harm reduction, and sustained access to care, all integrated into national health systems.