World Hepatitis Day 2025: Understanding & Preventing Viral Hepatitis

World Hepatitis Day highlights a global health challenge that affects over 1.1 million lives annually. Certain types of hepatitis are both preventable and effectively treatable. Unfortunately, the general public continues to lack sufficient awareness about symptoms, diagnosis and management, which leads to a high possibility that an individual is at risk of underdiagnosed or undiagnosed viral hepatitis (the most serious type of infections caused by viral hepatitis are hepatitis B and hepatitis C).

This is especially true in low awareness countries like India, where little or no screening for hepatitis is routinely done in clinical practice.

When discussing prevention of viral hepatitis, it is often seen as an academic or healthcare professional paradigm, but in truth, when you talk about preventing hepatitis, prevention is protecting your liver. The liver accounts for 500 functions in your body, and once your liver begins to be damaged by any kind of hepatitis (slowly-amoeba, etc.), it will be very difficult to salvage until symptoms arise.

The brutal truth is that millions have either hepatitis B or hepatitis C and do not know but thankfully, the good news is we have vaccination options, effective Hepatitis C treatments, and rising awareness levels to tackle this epidemic of silent killer disease.

What is Viral Hepatitis?

Each variety of viral hepatitis has a unique risk and route of transmission, yet they are all infectious disorders that cause inflammation of the liver. J, B, C, D, and E are the five main forms of hepatitis. Despite having the word “hepatitis” in their names, they all behave very differently inside the body.

Hepatitis A and E are mostly transient illnesses spread by tainted food or water, which is often the case in areas with unhygienic conditions. They usually go away on their own, but you can be sick for weeks. Much more dangerous are hepatitis B and C, which can damage the liver and remain dormant in the body for years without causing any symptoms.

These are blood-borne viruses that can be transmitted via unsterile needles, sharing injection equipment, unsafe sex, or mother-to-child transmission during birth. If untreated, these viruses can lead to chronic liver disease, or worse, cirrhosis of the liver or liver cancer.

Hepatitis D is a strange variant as it only infects those who have Hepatitis B, so co-infection is worse in these circumstances. Because of this, if you can prevent Hepatitis B, you can also, in turn, prevent Hepatitis D.

Why World Hepatitis Day 2025 Matters

World Hepatitis Day 2025 is not just about flying a flag for awareness. It is about coming together for a tangible, time-bound goal – to eliminate hepatitis as a global health threat in line with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) commitment to elimination by 2030.

If that seems ambitious, we actually have the tools we need to make this a reality, including timely testing and early diagnosis, preventive health care with an emphasis on routine health checks, and preventive measures like the Hepatitis B vaccine.

The urgency is real. In India alone, it is estimated that about 40 million people live with chronic Hepatitis B, and another 6 to 12 million are living with Hepatitis C. The unimaginably cool part is that most of these individuals don’t even know they are infected, simply because hepatitis has late or vague symptoms that we brush off as fatigue, indigestion, or simply being unwell. This is why early identification of the infection is critical; however, it all begins with awareness and not the presence of symptoms.

Understanding the Types: A Brief Overview

Hepatitis A

Transmission: Contaminated food/water
Symptoms: Fever, fatigue, nausea, abdominal pain
Prevention: Good hygiene, vaccination

Hepatitis B

Transmission: Blood, sexual contact, mother to child
Symptoms: Joint pain, yellow skin (jaundice), dark urine
Prevention: Hepatitis B vaccination, safe sex, don’t share needles
Chronic? Yes (especially for children)

Hepatitis C

Transmission: Blood transfusion, unsafe injections, needle sharing
Symptoms: Often asymptomatic until liver damage
Treatment: Hepatitis C is treatable and curable
Chronic: Yes

Hepatitis D

Transmission: Occurs only with Hepatitis B
Symptoms: Similar to B, but usually more severe
Prevention: Preventing Hepatitis B
Chronic: Yes

Hepatitis E

Transmission: Contaminated water
Symptoms: Mild illness, but can be serious in pregnancy
Prevention: Safe drinking water/clean sanitation
Chronic: Rarely, but can occur in immunocompromised patients

How Viral Hepatitis Affects You Long Term

One of the most alarming features of chronic viral hepatitis (especially the strains Hepatitis B and C) is how insidious it can be. You may feel perfectly fine while your liver is slowly being destroyed from the inside. In many cases, the infection will become chronic, and complications will arise over time; this can lead to cirrhosis (permanent scarring of the liver), liver failure, or even hepatocellular carcinoma (a type of liver cancer).

The most terrifying part? Most individuals do not show any symptoms until the liver is already quite damaged. By the time an individual becomes fatigued, develops jaundice, or has swelling of the abdomen, there is a high probability that the disease is already too advanced for a simple fix.

This is why early screening and prevention of viral hepatitis is so important. It can be as simple as getting vaccinated, or just making sure you are seeing a health care provider on a regular basis and making safe lifestyle choices. For many, awareness just increases safety, and it is advisable to adopt, regardless of risk.

Recognising Hepatitis Symptoms Early

As hepatitis is often asymptomatic, understanding the warning signs is your best prevention.

Typical symptoms include:

Unexplained fatigue
Loss of appetite
Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes)
Nausea or vomiting
Dark urine
Pale stool
Right upper abdominal discomfort

If you experience any high-risk exposure, a blood test is an easy way to get answers.

The Power of Prevention: What You Can Do

Get Vaccinated

The most effective part of your prevention toolkit is the Hepatitis B vaccine. In addition, it’s safe, available and provides long-term protection.

Infants should receive the Hepatitis B vaccine at birth

Adults at risk of Hepatitis B (health care professionals, individuals with chronic illness, multiple sex partners, etc.) are encouraged to check their vaccination status.

There are no vaccines for Hepatitis C currently, but research continues.

Practice Good Hygiene

Washing hands before eating and after using the restroom.

Make sure food is cooked thoroughly.

Avoid drinking unfiltered or untreated water.

Say No to sharing blood

If you are using injectable drugs, never share needles. Also, be aware of where you are getting tattoos or piercings, and make sure that it is a licensed and hygienic place.

Safe Sex

Hepatitis B can be transmitted by sexual contact. You are encouraged to use protection and get tested regularly if you are sexually active with multiple partners.

Advancements in Hepatitis C Treatment

The days of painful injectables, long treatment periods, and uncertain results from Hepatitis C treatment are gone. Today’s antiviral therapy, almost exclusively in pill form, can actually cure more than 95% of Hepatitis C infections in 8 to 12 weeks!

These new-generation drugs typically have better safety profiles, fewer side effects, and high effectiveness rates. The biggest challenge is that most people do not know they are infected. In fact, it is not unusual for people to only learn of their Hepatitis C infection after being screened for other health reasons at Dispur Polyclinic and Hospital, and by that time, they have had the virus for years, silently damaging their liver.

This is why early testing is critical, as it is the first step on the journey to treatment, recovery, and peace of mind.

Who Should Get Tested?

Are you wondering whether you need a hepatitis test? You should test for hepatitis if you’ve ever had a blood transfusion before 2002, were born to a mother infected with Hepatitis B or C, or if you have ever shared needles, even just once.

You should also consider testing for hepatitis if you are living with HIV, have any chronic liver disease, are pregnant, have unprotected sex with multiple partners, or if you work in health care and are at higher risk of exposure. Hepatitis testing can be done quickly and often times is a life-saving option when people test positive without initial symptoms of the infection. A simple hepatitis test can literally be your saving grace.

People tend to wrongly assume they are in the “clear” simply because they are not experiencing symptoms but the reality is, you can be diagnosed with hepatitis for a long period of time without any warning signs before symptoms arise, and by that stage, the liver has often already received significant damage. That’s why routine screening should be a consideration for everyone, even if you are not considered in a high-risk category; every person (including pre-teens, teenagers, and adults) under the appropriate age who has never been screened should be routinely screened.

Early detection of hepatitis can allow for quicker treatment options, better overall health outcomes, and both physical and mental peace of mind. Screening, testing, and reporting methods have improved for hepatitis, and there is no better time to start getting screened than now, with your healthcare provider.

Hepatitis and Pregnancy: A Special Concern

During childbirth, pregnant women who have Hepatitis B can potentially pass the infection along to their newborn baby. Prenatal identification and screening for mothers who are infected with Hepatitis B is necessary.

The newborn baby can be protected from the infection with Hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) and the first dose of Hepatitis B vaccine within 12 hours of birth, with the additional doses administered on the timing schedule thereafter.

Common Myths About Hepatitis Debunked!

Let’s set the record straight on a few common myths:

Myth: Hepatitis is only passed along to drug users.

Truth: Hepatitis B and C can be passed along with unsterile tattoo needles, unprotected sex, or from mom to baby.

Myth: If you’re healthy, you don’t need to be vaccinated.

Truth: Vaccination is a protective barrier before exposure. Once you’re infected, it’s too late to receive preventative care.

Myth: You would definitely know if you had hepatitis.

Truth: The sad reality is that most people do not have evident symptoms for years; the only way to know if you have hepatitis is by testing.

Conclusion

This World Hepatitis Day 2025, don’t wait to get sick — hepatitis can lie dormant for years, as it harms your liver. Prevention of Hepatitis B by vaccination, and timely Hepatitis C screening and treatment, all begin with a step you can take today to help protect your future health.

When you get hepatitis care from Dispur Polyclinic and Hospitals, you receive not just an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan, but comprehensive hepatitis care; diagnosis, treatment, and individual support all from understood healthcare providers. Your liver health is important, and people often wait too long before getting support.

Call us today at +91-8822669275 or visit us. Hepatitis care won’t be optional, but your commitment to your healthcare will be.