“Health is a fundamental human right.” – World Health Organization
A pregnant woman arrives at her first antenatal appointment feeling healthy and excited about the future. She has no symptoms, no pain, and no reason to believe anything is wrong. Yet, without knowing it, she is living with hepatitis B, a silent viral infection that could be passed on to her baby during childbirth. Fortunately, a simple blood test, timely treatment and a vaccine administered within the first twenty-four hours of birth can almost completely prevent that transmission.
Her story reflects the urgent message behind World Hepatitis Day 2026, observed annually on 28 July under the theme “Hepatitis: Let’s Break It Down.” The campaign calls on governments, health professionals and communities to break down the financial, social and systemic barriers that continue to prevent millions of people from accessing prevention, testing, treatment and care.
For women, this message is especially significant. Protecting women from hepatitis is not only about safeguarding their health; it is about protecting pregnancies, preventing newborn infections and breaking the cycle of disease for future generations.
Understanding Hepatitis
Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver, one of the body’s most vital organs. The liver filters toxins, stores nutrients, supports digestion and helps fight infections. When it becomes inflamed, its ability to perform these essential functions is compromised, increasing the risk of liver damage, cirrhosis and liver cancer.
There are five main hepatitis viruses, A, B, C, D and E, but hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) cause the vast majority of chronic infections and deaths worldwide. Hepatitis B spreads through infected blood and body fluids and can be transmitted from an infected mother to her baby during pregnancy or childbirth. Hepatitis C is mainly spread through infected blood, often from unsafe injections or contaminated medical equipment.
One of hepatitis’ greatest dangers is that it is often called the silent disease. Many people experience no symptoms for years while the virus quietly damages the liver. By the time signs such as jaundice, fatigue or abdominal pain appear, serious complications may already have developed.
A Silent Global Health Crisis for Women
According to the World Health Organization’s Global Hepatitis Report 2026, an estimated 287 million people were living with chronic hepatitis B or C in 2024. Women represent a significant proportion of those affected, particularly during their reproductive years when pregnancy creates additional health risks.
Mother-to-child transmission remains one of the leading causes of chronic hepatitis B infection worldwide. According to WHO, babies infected at birth have up to a 90 percent chance of developing chronic hepatitis B, placing them at lifelong risk of liver disease and liver cancer.
The encouraging news is that this form of transmission is almost entirely preventable.
Routine antenatal screening, antiviral treatment for mothers with high viral loads and administering the hepatitis B birth dose vaccine within the first twenty-four hours of life can prevent nearly all mother-to-child transmission.
Yet global implementation remains far from adequate.
Among 130 countries reporting data to WHO, 128 have policies recommending hepatitis B screening during pregnancy, but only 51 have fully implemented nationwide screening programmes. Likewise, although 80 countries have policies supporting antiviral medicines such as tenofovir for pregnant women at high risk of transmission, access remains inconsistent.
Even more concerning is that only 45 percent of newborns worldwide received the hepatitis B birth dose vaccine within twenty-four hours of birth in 2024, despite this being the single most effective intervention for protecting infants from lifelong infection.
Why Women Must Be at the Centre of Hepatitis Elimination
Women of reproductive age hold the key to ending the intergenerational transmission of hepatitis B.
The World Health Organization recommends integrating hepatitis B screening into routine antenatal care alongside HIV and syphilis testing. This approach, known as the Triple Elimination Initiative, ensures that women receive comprehensive maternal healthcare while preventing the transmission of three major infections from mother to child.
However, many women continue to face barriers that extend beyond medicine.
Financial hardship, limited access to healthcare, stigma, poor awareness, long travel distances to health facilities and competing family responsibilities often prevent women from seeking timely testing and treatment. In many communities, healthcare decisions are influenced by cultural norms that limit women’s autonomy, making access to care even more challenging.
Breaking these barriers is essential if global hepatitis elimination targets are to be achieved.
Women Whose Lives Have Been Changed by Early Care
Across the world, timely diagnosis and treatment have transformed countless lives.
Women who receive routine hepatitis screening during pregnancy can access treatment that protects both their own health and that of their babies. Their children are born free from infection, allowing families to avoid a disease that once passed silently from one generation to the next.
The World Health Organization’s Triple Elimination Initiative has already demonstrated that success is possible. Countries such as the Maldives have achieved WHO validation for eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B through integrated maternal healthcare. Their achievement proves that when governments invest in strong health systems and women-centered services, hepatitis elimination becomes an achievable goal rather than a distant ambition.
Africa’s Opportunity to Lead
Africa continues to shoulder one of the world’s highest hepatitis burdens while also experiencing significant gaps in maternal healthcare.
Many women still lack access to routine antenatal screening, affordable laboratory testing, antiviral medicines and timely vaccination for newborns. Rural communities often face shortages of healthcare professionals, inadequate diagnostic facilities and inconsistent vaccine availability.
Yet the continent also has enormous potential to lead global progress.
By integrating hepatitis screening into antenatal care, expanding community health services and ensuring that every newborn receives the hepatitis B vaccine within twenty-four hours of birth, African countries can dramatically reduce future infections while strengthening maternal and child healthcare.
Investing in women’s health today means investing in healthier families and stronger economies tomorrow.
The Solutions Already Exist
Unlike many public health challenges, hepatitis is not a disease without answers.
WHO recommends universal hepatitis B screening for all pregnant women as early as possible during pregnancy. Women with high hepatitis B viral loads should receive antiviral treatment, while every newborn should receive the hepatitis B vaccine within twenty-four hours of birth, followed by completion of the recommended vaccine schedule. Where available, hepatitis B immunoglobulin should also be administered to babies born to mothers at particularly high risk.
Healthcare systems should integrate hepatitis services into maternal health, primary healthcare and family planning programmes while strengthening data collection, community education and follow-up care.
Equally important is tackling stigma. No woman should fear discrimination because of a hepatitis diagnosis. Women living with hepatitis deserve dignity, informed care and the opportunity to participate in decisions affecting their health.
Breaking Down the Barriers
The theme “Hepatitis: Let’s Break It Down” is a call to action for the world to dismantle every obstacle preventing women from accessing lifesaving healthcare.
It means breaking down stigma that discourages women from getting tested.
It means breaking down financial barriers that make treatment unaffordable.
It means breaking down weak health systems that fail to provide universal antenatal screening and timely vaccination.
Most importantly, it means recognising that every woman has the right to quality healthcare regardless of where she lives or her economic circumstances.
A Call to Action
Ending hepatitis begins with protecting women.
Women planning a pregnancy or already expecting should request hepatitis B and C screening as part of routine antenatal care. Families should ensure that every newborn receives the hepatitis B vaccine within the first twenty-four hours of life. Healthcare professionals should provide timely testing, appropriate antiviral treatment, and continuous care for mothers and infants.
Governments must move beyond policy statements to full nationwide implementation by investing in universal screening, birth dose vaccination, integrated maternal healthcare and gender responsive services that reach even the most underserved communities.
The science is clear. Nearly all mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B can be prevented using the tools that already exist. The greatest challenge is ensuring that every woman can access those tools when she needs them most.
On World Hepatitis Day 2026, let us break down the barriers that continue to place women and their children at risk. Because when we protect women from hepatitis, we do more than prevent disease. We give mothers the chance to raise healthier families, children the opportunity to begin life free from infection and communities the foundation for a healthier, more equitable future
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