Only one in 20 people with viral hepatitis are aware that they are suffering from the disease. One in 100 suffering people are being treated. On World Hepatitis Day, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has urged countries across the globe to take action in spreading awareness about the disease and increase the access to testing and treatment services.

• Viral hepatitis affects 400 million people globally.
   
• Every year 6–10 million people are newly infected.
   
• An estimated 95% of people with hepatitis do not know there are infected.
   
• Over 90% of people with hepatitis C can be completely cured within 3–6 months.
   
• Hepatitis B is a viral infection that attacks the liver and can cause both acute and chronic disease.
   
• The virus is transmitted through contact with the blood or other body fluids of an infected person.
   
• An estimated 240 million people are chronically infected with hepatitis B (defined as hepatitis B surface antigen positive for at least 6 months).
   
• More than 686 000 people die every year due to complications of hepatitis B, including cirrhosis and liver cancer 1.