WHO publishes first global implementation guide for the elimination of hepatitis B and C

The World Health Organization (WHO) published on 24 February 2026 in Geneva its first comprehensive global implementation guide for measures aimed at the elimination of hepatitis B and C. The guide is designed to strengthen support to countries in improving prevention, testing, treatment, service organization and programme monitoring through an integrated public health approach.

The publication comes ten years after the adoption of the first WHO Global Health Sector Strategy on viral hepatitis and represents a new milestone towards achieving the 2030 elimination targets. The document consolidates more than a decade of evidence-based recommendations into a single, practical resource for policy-makers, programme managers, clinicians, donors and partners.

The guide provides clear operational direction for translating normative recommendations into concrete actions and supports the integration of hepatitis services into primary health care and universal health coverage frameworks.

Viral hepatitis remains a major global health challenge:

• 254 million people live with hepatitis B

• 50 million people live with hepatitis C

• In 2022, hepatitis-related cirrhosis and liver cancer caused 1.3 million deaths – more than 3,500 deaths per day

Hepatitis B and C remain among the leading infectious diseases worldwide, with increasing mortality trends, underlining the urgency of action to achieve elimination by 2030. Despite the availability of highly effective tools for prevention, testing and treatment – including a cure for hepatitis C and vaccines and effective therapy for hepatitis B – the disease continues to cause large numbers of preventable cases of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.

The new WHO guide:

• consolidates over 80 evidence-based recommendations on hepatitis B, C and D (2015–2025) into a single modular resource;

• provides practical guidance on preventing mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B, including birth-dose vaccination, blood and injection safety, and harm-reduction programmes for people who inject drugs;

• outlines priority public health approaches to testing for hepatitis B, C and D, including rapid tests, reflex testing and simplified treatment protocols adapted to different levels of health care;

• highlights the central role of primary health care in national hepatitis responses and provides a framework for service integration;

• supports the establishment of patient-centred data monitoring systems and includes practical tools to improve programme performance and accountability.

The guide is a ключni инструмент for translating recommendations into action, reducing new infections and reversing rising mortality trends.

The publication is available at:
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240119529

WHO, in cooperation with Member States and partners, will work towards the широку implementation of this guide to ensure equitable, integrated and people-centred services and to accelerate progress towards hepatitis elimination by 2030.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, within its competencies and in cooperation with competent health institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, will support activities aimed at strengthening prevention, early detection and treatment of viral hepatitis and contribute to the implementation of WHO recommendations in order to improve public health and achieve the global hepatitis elimination targets by 2030.