About World Hepatitis Day
World Hepatitis Day is held on 28 July, the birthday of Baruch Blumberg, who identified the hepatitis B virus and helped create the test and the vaccine for it. In 2027 it falls on Wednesday, 28 July 2027. India launched its National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme on this date in 2018, and it offers free testing and treatment for hepatitis B and C.
Hepatitis just means the liver is inflamed. Five different viruses cause most of it, they spread in completely different ways, and mixing them up is why so much Indian advice about hepatitis is wrong.
Why is World Hepatitis Day on 28 July?
28 July is the birthday of Baruch Blumberg, the American doctor who identified the hepatitis B virus and went on to help develop both the blood test and the vaccine for it, work that won him a Nobel Prize. WHO marks the day each year with a theme, such as "One life, One liver" in 2023 and "Hepatitis: Let's Break It Down" in 2025, which was aimed at the cost, stigma and system barriers that keep people from being tested.
India has its own reason for the date. The union health ministry launched the National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme on 28 July 2018.
What are hepatitis A, B, C, D and E?
Sorting the letters out is the single most useful thing this day can do.
| Type | How it spreads | Vaccine | Outlook |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hepatitis A | Contaminated water and food | Yes | Usually clears on its own; common in children |
| Hepatitis B | Blood, unsafe injections, sex, mother to baby at birth | Yes, in India's routine immunisation | Can become lifelong; controlled with medicines |
| Hepatitis C | Blood: unsafe injections, unscreened transfusions, shared needles | No vaccine | Curable in most people with a course of tablets |
| Hepatitis D | Only infects people who already have hepatitis B | Prevented by the hepatitis B vaccine | Makes hepatitis B more serious |
| Hepatitis E | Contaminated water, common after floods | Not in routine use in India | Usually clears, but dangerous in pregnancy |
In India, hepatitis E is the biggest cause of hepatitis outbreaks, and WHO notes that most acute liver failure diagnosed here is linked to it. Hepatitis A mainly affects children. The long, silent damage comes from B and C, which can sit in the liver for decades and surface as cirrhosis or liver cancer.
How big is hepatitis in India?
WHO's India office estimates around 4 crore people here live with chronic hepatitis B and between 60 lakh and 1.2 crore with hepatitis C. Estimates differ between surveys and modelling exercises, so treat any single figure as an approximation. Across the WHO South-East Asia Region, which India dominates by size, about 61 million people live with hepatitis B and 9 million with hepatitis C, and the region records over 2,60,000 hepatitis-related deaths a year.
Most of them do not know. Hepatitis B and C often cause no symptoms until the liver is badly scarred, which is why testing, not waiting for jaundice, is the point of the day.
What does India's hepatitis programme give free?
The National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme provides free diagnosis and free medicines for hepatitis B and C at government facilities, along with management of hepatitis A and E. Its stated goal is to end hepatitis C in the country by 2030 and to cut deaths from the liver damage that hepatitis B causes.
Two parts of it are worth knowing about:
- The birth dose. The hepatitis B vaccine is part of India's routine immunisation, with a dose given to newborns. It is the simplest protection a family can get, and it has to happen in the first hours after birth.
- Screening in pregnancy. In districts where fewer than 80 per cent of births happen in hospitals, the programme pushes HBsAg testing for pregnant women, so that babies of infected mothers get the extra protection they need at delivery.
How to lower your risk
Do
- Get the newborn's hepatitis B birth dose on time, and complete the schedule.
- Insist on a new, sealed syringe for every injection, and on new needles at a tattoo or piercing studio.
- Drink water you trust, especially during the monsoon and after floods, when hepatitis A and E spread.
- Ask for a hepatitis B and C test once if you have had transfusions, dialysis, or many injections in the past.
Avoid
- Don't share razors, blades or toothbrushes, which can carry traces of blood.
- Don't isolate a hepatitis B patient's plates and glasses. It does not spread through food, water, hugging or sharing a room.
- Don't treat jaundice with home remedies alone. Some traditional and over-the-counter preparations are hard on an already inflamed liver.
- Don't ignore a hepatitis B result because you feel well. It needs monitoring even when there are no symptoms.
What to write on World Hepatitis Day
This is manageable and the treatment is free at government centres. Nothing about our friendship changes. Tell me when your next appointment is and I'll come.
Get the blood test done rather than guessing. Most jaundice in our part of the country clears, but only a test tells you which kind it is.
Congratulations. One small thing: make sure the hospital gives the hepatitis B birth dose before you go home. It protects her for life.
Cured. That word is real for hepatitis C now. Happy to have you on the other side of it.
Free testing camp at the district hospital today. Ten minutes, and most people who carry hepatitis have no idea.
Thank you for the counselling you do around a positive report. Half the fear people carry about hepatitis comes from not being told the facts.
Hepatitis sits with India's other big infection observances: World TB Day on 24 March, World AIDS Day on 1 December and World Blood Donor Day on 14 June, which is also about the safety of every unit transfused.
How to wish someone on World Hepatitis Day
Hepatitis is a quiet illness with a loud stigma, so messages matter more than usual. Someone newly told they carry hepatitis B is often frightened about marriage, a job or infecting the family. Say that it is manageable, that ordinary contact does not spread it, and that treatment is free at government centres. Do not send "Happy World Hepatitis Day" to a patient.
Write a few lines in your own words, pick a design and share it as one link on WhatsApp, Instagram or anywhere else. They open an animated card made just for them, with no app and no sign-up.
Language tip: English, Hindi + recipient language.
When is World Hepatitis Day in 2026 and 2027?
World Hepatitis Day is on 28 Jul every year. Only the weekday changes.
- 2026
- 2027
Frequently asked questions
When is World Hepatitis Day in 2027?
World Hepatitis Day 2027 falls on Wednesday, 28 July 2027.
Why is World Hepatitis Day on 28 July?
It is the birthday of Baruch Blumberg, who identified the hepatitis B virus and helped develop the test and vaccine for it. India also chose the date in 2018 to launch its National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme.
Is hepatitis treatment free in India?
Yes. Under the National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme, testing and medicines for hepatitis B and C are provided free at government facilities, along with care for hepatitis A and E.
Is hepatitis B curable?
Hepatitis B is usually not cured, but it is controlled. Medicines keep the virus in check and protect the liver, and regular monitoring catches damage early. The infection is prevented completely by the vaccine, including the dose given to newborns.
Is hepatitis C curable?
Yes. Most people with hepatitis C are cured by a course of tablets taken over a few months, and those medicines are available free under India's national programme. There is no vaccine for hepatitis C, so testing is the only way to find it.
Can hepatitis spread by sharing food or utensils?
Hepatitis A and E spread through contaminated food and water, so they can pass on that way. Hepatitis B and C do not. They spread through blood, unsafe injections, sexual contact and from mother to baby at birth, and separating a patient's plates serves no purpose.
What do you say to someone diagnosed with hepatitis B?
Say the facts calmly: it is manageable with medicines and monitoring, treatment is free at government centres, and ordinary contact at home or work does not put anyone at risk. Then offer to go along to the next appointment.
Last verified by the Kehdoo team on .