Disease overview

Viral

Viral Hepatitis

病毒性肝炎

Evidence-backed informationEN 5/7 applicable sections · ZH 5/7 applicable sectionsUpdated Sep 3, 2026

Viral hepatitis encompasses liver inflammation caused by five primary hepatitis viruses (A, B, C, D, and E), which together represent a major global public health burden, causing an estimated 1.3 million deaths annually and affecting hundreds of millions of people with chronic infection, particularly types B and C ^[1]^[2]. These viruses differ in modes of transmission, severity, geographical distribution, and preventability, yet all can lead to severe liver outcomes including cirrhosis and cancer ^[1]^[2]. Prevention is increasingly feasible through vaccination (available for hepatitis A, B, and E), antivirals (for B and C), and public health measures targeting transmission routes ^[1]^[3]. The World Health Organization's Global Health Sector Strategy aims to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health problem by 2030 ^[1].

Read the full clinical and epidemiological profile6

Definition

Viral hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver caused by five main strains of hepatitis viruses—types A, B, C, D, and E—which differ in their modes of transmission, severity of illness, geographical distribution, and prevention methods ^[1]^[2]. Hepatitis viruses are the most common cause of hepatitis worldwide, though other infectious agents, toxic substances such as alcohol and certain drugs, and autoimmune diseases can also cause hepatitis ^[2]. Types B and C in particular lead to chronic disease and together constitute the most common cause of liver cirrhosis and cancer globally ^[1]^[2].

Clinical features

Acute viral hepatitis infection may occur with limited or no symptoms, or may present with jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), dark urine, extreme fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain ^[2]. The condition can be self-limiting or can progress to fibrosis (scarring), cirrhosis, or liver cancer, with types B and C being the principal drivers of chronic disease and related mortality ^[1]^[2]. Diagnosis involves evaluation of liver chemistries—alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase, and bilirubin—with hepatocellular injury characterized by disproportionate elevation of AST and ALT, and cholestatic injury by disproportionate elevation of alkaline phosphatase ^[4]. Viral hepatitis A, B, and C testing is a standard component of the evaluation for hepatocellular injury, alongside assessment for other liver diseases such as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, alcoholic liver disease, and autoimmune conditions ^[4].

Epidemiology

An estimated 304 million people worldwide live with hepatitis B or C, and these two types are the leading cause of liver cirrhosis, liver cancer, and viral hepatitis-related deaths, accounting for an estimated 1.3 million deaths per year ^[1]. Hepatitis B and C together represent the most common infectious disease killers among the hepatitis viruses, causing chronic disease in hundreds of millions of people globally ^[1]^[2]. The five hepatitis virus types are of greatest concern because of the burden of illness and death they cause and their potential for outbreaks and epidemic spread ^[2]. Without urgent and sustained action, viral hepatitis is projected to cause an additional 9.5 million new infections, 2.1 million liver cancer cases, and 2.8 million deaths by 2030 ^[1].

Transmission

Hepatitis A and E are typically caused by ingestion of contaminated food or water ^[2]. Hepatitis B, C, and D usually occur as a result of parenteral contact with infected body fluids, with common modes including receipt of contaminated blood or blood products, and invasive medical procedures using contaminated equipment ^[2]. Additional transmission routes for hepatitis B include transmission from mother to baby at birth, from family member to child, and through sexual contact ^[2]. In pregnancy, mother-to-child transmission is a key route for hepatitis B and C, representing a major pathway for sustaining the global burden of chronic viral hepatitis ^[5].

Prevention

Outcomes from viral hepatitis are largely preventable through scale-up of hepatitis B vaccination, improved access to prevention, testing, and treatment for hepatitis B and C, and targeted public education campaigns to raise awareness and reduce transmission ^[1]. Vaccines are available to prevent hepatitis A, B, and E, and highly efficacious antivirals exist for hepatitis B and C, representing transformative therapeutic breakthroughs for hepatology and public health ^[3]. The WHO Global Health Sector Strategy on HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections (2022–2030) aims to reduce new hepatitis infections to 520,000 cases annually and hepatitis-related deaths to 450,000 by 2030—representing a 90% reduction in incidence and a 65% reduction in mortality compared to 2015 ^[1]. Prevention of mother-to-child transmission is a key strategy for reducing the global burden of chronic viral hepatitis, though it must account for local health-care and socioeconomic challenges ^[5].

References

1World Health Organization. Hepatitis [Internet]. cited 1 Sept 2026.Available from: https://www.who.int/health-topics/hepatitis
2World Health Organization. Hepatitis [Internet]. cited 1 Sept 2026.Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/hepatitis
3Odenwald MA et al. Viral hepatitis: Past, present, and future. World J Gastroenterol. 2022 Apr 14. PMID: 35582678. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v28.i14.1405.PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35582678/
4Kwo PY et al. ACG Clinical Guideline: Evaluation of Abnormal Liver Chemistries. Am J Gastroenterol. 2017 Jan. PMID: 27995906. doi: 10.1038/ajg.2016.517.PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27995906/
5Terrault NA et al. Viral hepatitis and pregnancy. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2021 Feb. PMID: 33046891. doi: 10.1038/s41575-020-00361-w.PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33046891/

Coding Register

ICD-10: B15-B19
ICD-11: 1E50

Key Statistics

Total cases: 2K
Peak month: 2019-03
Coverage: 3 reporting countries · 2000-01-01 → 2026-09-01

Coverage

Reporting countries and regions

3 locations

Trends by reporting country

Monthly patterns over time

Research Radar

Recent related research

View all research →

Peer reviewedOpen accessViral HepatitisSurveillance

DOI 10.1111/jvh.70222 ↗

Risk of Liver Cancer From Major Causes Compared to Smoking and Lung Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Wallace C, Razavi-Shearer D, Hall S +9 more

Journal of viral hepatitisSep 1, 2026

Open article ↗Viral Hepatitis surveillance →

Peer reviewedOpen accessHepatitis BVaccination

DOI 10.3390/vaccines14090732 ↗

Hepatitis B Immunization Among Healthcare Students: A Narrative Review of Occupational Risk, Seroprotection, and Immunization Management

Lorenzo Ippoliti, Viola Giovinazzo, Luca Coppeta +10 more

VaccinesAug 25, 2026

Open article ↗Hepatitis B surveillance →

Peer reviewedOpen accessViral HepatitisSurveillance

DOI 10.3389/fbioe.2026.1892898 ↗

CRISPR-based point-of-care diagnostics for viral hepatitis: from molecular design to clinical implementation

Lanke Lin, Fukang Luo, Shan Liu +5 more

Frontiers in Bioengineering and BiotechnologyAug 24, 2026

Open article ↗Viral Hepatitis surveillance →

Peer reviewedOpen accessViral HepatitisVaccination

DOI 10.1093/rescon/vmag135 ↗

Africa’s Silent Humanitarian Crisis: Why Viral Hepatitis Must No Longer Be Ignored

Danjuma Adda, C Wendy Spearman, Asgeir Johannessen +11 more

Research ConnectionsAug 17, 2026

Open article ↗Viral Hepatitis surveillance →

Peer reviewedOpen accessHepatitis AVaccination

DOI 10.1001/jamainternmed.2026.3831 ↗

Serologic Immunity to Hepatitis A and B in US Adults and High-Risk Populations

Giovanni A. Roldan, Jesse Fletcher, Timothy Davie +3 more

JAMA Internal MedicineAug 17, 2026

Open article ↗Hepatitis A surveillance →

Showing 5 of 11 related publications.

Literature links are provided for discovery and do not alter or validate the surveillance series above.

Rows1,950

Updated2026-09-01

Coverage—

Partitions6

Source3 series · 877 observations

Official sourcesAuthority, cadence, notes75

monthlymicrosoft_bi

Australian national notifiable diseases surveillance dashboard.

monthlymicrosoft_bi

Australian NINDSS monthly state/territory notifications for Australian Capital Territory, kept separate from the Australia national aggregate.

monthlymicrosoft_bi

Australian NINDSS monthly state/territory notifications for New South Wales, kept separate from the Australia national aggregate.

monthlymicrosoft_bi

Australian NINDSS monthly state/territory notifications for Northern Territory, kept separate from the Australia national aggregate.

monthlymicrosoft_bi

Australian NINDSS monthly state/territory notifications for Queensland, kept separate from the Australia national aggregate.

monthlymicrosoft_bi

Australian NINDSS monthly state/territory notifications for South Australia, kept separate from the Australia national aggregate.

monthlymicrosoft_bi

Australian NINDSS monthly state/territory notifications for Tasmania, kept separate from the Australia national aggregate.

monthlymicrosoft_bi

Australian NINDSS monthly state/territory notifications for Victoria, kept separate from the Australia national aggregate.

monthlymicrosoft_bi

Australian NINDSS monthly state/territory notifications for Western Australia, kept separate from the Australia national aggregate.

MONTHLYweb

Monthly notifiable infectious disease reports published by China CDC.

MONTHLYweb

Official China public health bulletin and query portal.

MONTHLYweb

Biomedical literature discovery feed used as supplementary context.

annualofficial_datacenter_spreadsheet

Chinese province-level historical monthly observations; this higher-priority source overlays overlapping official monthly reports.

monthlyofficial_provincial_report