India Reiterates Commitment to Eliminate Hepatitis B and C as Public Health Threats by 2030 at UNGA Side Event

Key facts

• Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava reaffirmed India's commitment to eliminating Hepatitis B and C as public health threats by 2030 at a UN General Assembly side event titled 'Advancing Global Action to Eliminate Hepatitis', organised by the UN Group of Friends to Eliminate Hepatitis on the sidelines of the 81st UNGA.
• The National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme (NVHCP), launched in 2018 under the National Health Mission, provides free diagnostic services and medicines for Hepatitis B and C and aims to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030.
• India's NVHCP estimates around 40 million people are living with Hepatitis B and 6–12 million with Hepatitis C.
• The programme includes Hepatitis B vaccination, safe injection practices, screening, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mother-to-child transmission through timely birth-dose vaccination and pregnancy screening.
• The World Health Organization has stated that effective tools exist, including Hepatitis B vaccination, curative treatment for Hepatitis C, and long-term therapies for Hepatitis B.