World Hepatitis Day 2026: Despite progress towards eliminating hepatitis in Europe, gaps in prevention measures keep 2030 targets out of reach

Bruno Ciancio of ECDC says:

’No one should die from a disease that is preventable, diagnosable and treatable, yet millions of Europeans are living with chronic hepatitis B or C infections – often without knowing it – which can lead to severe long-term consequences such as liver failure or liver cancer. World Hepatitis Day is a good opportunity to remember that effective solutions to control viral hepatitis already exist. Our collective challenge is to ensure that these life-saving interventions are accessible to everyone who needs them.’

Existing measures to control viral hepatitis across Europe include vaccination to prevent hepatitis B, harm reduction and infection control measures to prevent transmission, testing to identify infections early, and treatments that can cure hepatitis C and control hepatitis B. Routine screening for hepatitis B in pregnancy is now well established across all 30 European Union and European Economic Area (EU/EEA) countries, and has helped to bring down vertical transmission of hepatitis B from mother to child to below 2% across the EU/EEA. New data published by ECDC show sustained declines in acute hepatitis B infections since 2006, demonstrating the effectiveness of long-standing prevention efforts across the region. Among people younger than 25 years, the proportion of acute hepatitis B cases fell from 11% in 2015 to 8% in 2024, reflecting the impact of childhood vaccination programmes and other prevention measures.  

Across the region, comprehensive screening systems are also now in place to help prevent the transmission of hepatitis B or C through blood, tissues or cells. The results of a recent ECDC survey indicate that many countries have robust systems to meet the new standards for blood, tissue and cells safety laid out in the EU regulation on substances of human origin. 

At the same time, viral hepatitis remains an enormous public health challenge across Europe. An estimated five million people in the EU/EEA are living with chronic hepatitis B or C, and almost 60 000 people die each year from liver disease linked to these infections, showing the need for further action. One remaining challenge is that there are gaps in the prevention of viral hepatitis at community level. A minority of countries (nine out of 25) across the EU/EEA have reached the WHO target of fully vaccinating 95% of children against hepatitis B. Some countries even reported a decline in coverage in recent years. 

Injecting drug use accounts for most cases of hepatitis C with a known transmission route. While harm reduction measures such as opioid agonist treatment and the provision of sterile needles and syringes are effective in minimising transmission, coverage across the EU/EEA remains inadequate, with only seven countries meeting the WHO target for distribution of sterile injection equipment for people who inject drugs. 

ECDC and the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) have outlined key interventions to prevent and control infectious diseases for people who inject drugs and developed an online toolkit to support efforts to eliminate viral hepatitis in prisons. Improving healthcare in these settings would substantially reduce transmission and work towards ending hepatitis as a public health threat.

Notes to editors

• Prevention of hepatitis B and C in the European Union and European Economic Area, 2026 - Monitoring progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
• European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Hepatitis B. In: ECDC. Annual epidemiological report for 2024. Stockholm: ECDC; 2026. 
• European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Hepatitis C. In: ECDC. Annual epidemiological report for 2024. Stockholm: ECDC; 2026.
• Viral hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver caused by a virus. The most common hepatitis viruses in Europe are types A, B, C and E (commonly referred to as HAV, HBV, HCV and HEV). Hepatitis B and C usually occur after exposure to infected blood or other bodily fluids through unsafe sex, the use of contaminated needles or medical equipment, vertical transmission or from unscreened blood transfusions and can develop into a chronic infection. Together, HBV and HCV are the most common cause of liver cirrhosis and cancer. To eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030, the WHO set a series of goals.
• The ECDC Vaccination coverage dashboard provides the most recent data on vaccination coverage for selected vaccine-preventable diseases in European Union/ Economic Area (EU/EEA) countries including hepatitis B. It is available from: