As staggering as it may sound, globally, viral hepatitis affects 400 million people globally, over 10 times the number of people affected with HIV, according to figures released by World Health Organization (WHO).
The viral disease that causes inflammation of liver is categorised under three types: Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C.
The United Nation's (UN) public health arm reveals while 7,00,000 people die each year from hepatitis C-related liver diseases, more than 686,000 people die every year due to complications of hepatitis B, including cirrhosis and liver cancer.
While Hepatitis C is found worldwide, the most affected regions are Africa and Central and East Asia. Hepatitis B's prevalence is highest in sub-Saharan Africa and East Asia, where between 5–10 percent of the adult population is chronically infected, says WHO.
(WION)