Take Action
The world has all the effective vaccines and treatments it needs to eliminate hepatitis as a public health threat. But we need action.
Everyone can help make hepatitis a global priority. Click on a link below that best describes you:
Actions for individuals
Hepatitis is the world’s deadliest communicable disease, but it still isn’t being prioritised. This World Hepatitis Day, help people get the facts.
How you can take action
- Use the template letter below to write to a key decision maker in your area who could make a difference. Examples of people to send it to include members of parliament, ministers of health, state/local officials, public health officials, or anyone who makes healthcare decisions in your area.
- Promote World Hepatitis Day online with social media graphics from the campaign resources page using the hashtag #WorldHepatitisDay. You could also send these to friends and family over WhatsApp.
- Make a video message about hepatitis to join the WHD Relay. At noon on 28 July, post it on social media with the hashtag #WHDRelay and we’ll amplify it.
- Ask your local healthcare centre to promote World Hepatitis Day with posters and flyers from the campaign resources page.
- Learn more about hepatitis at worldhepatitisalliance.org/what-is-viral-hepatitis
- Discover stories from people living with hepatitis at worldhepatitisalliance.org/stories and share with family, friends and social media followers.
- Undertake free training through our Community Impact Programme and become a hepatitis advocate.
- Download and share our NOhep Mums flyers on testing for hepatitis B in antenatal settings with pregnant women and their families in your communities.
View Letter
Letter Template
Dear [INSERT NAME/TITLE],
My name is [insert name] and I am writing on behalf of [INSERT CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATION], with the support of the World Hepatitis Alliance.
It’s World Hepatitis Day on 28 July, and I am writing to urge you to take action.
Hepatitis is now the world’s deadliest communicable disease. 287 million people worldwide are living with hepatitis B or C. Yet because viral hepatitis often shows no symptoms, the majority of people won’t know they have it until it is too late.
More than 1.3 million people will die because of hepatitis related illness in 2026. And there are nearly two million new cases of hepatitis B and C each year.
More than [INSERT NATIONAL STATS] people in [INSERT COUNTRY] are living with viral hepatitis. More than a third will have their lives cut short by liver cancer or other forms of liver disease directly related to hepatitis. This comes with huge healthcare costs, strains on the healthcare system, and devastating impacts on families and communities.
But this can change. Hepatitis B has a vaccine and hepatitis C has a cure. Increases in hepatitis B vaccination programmes have reduced hepatitis B-related liver cancers globally. Modelling by the Center for Disease Analysis Foundation also found that reaching World Health Organization elimination targets for hepatitis would be either highly cost-effective or cost-saving in all countries by 2045.
We have the opportunity to eliminate hepatitis as a public health threat. This World Hepatitis Day, let’s break down the barriers holding us back from a hepatitis-free [INSERT COUNTRY].
We call on [INSERT COUNTRY OR STATE] to prioritise the following:
- Promote greater public and political awareness of the importance of viral hepatitis B and C prevention, testing and treatment
- Substantially increase access to testing in community and health facility-based services
- Provide high-quality, evidence-based and affordable, people-centred hepatitis care services and prevention programmes
- Address stigma and discrimination faced by populations most affected by hepatitis in healthcare setting and in society as a whole
- Strengthen community and civil society involvement in hepatitis programmes and create innovative partnership to drive change
We look forward to your support this World Hepatitis Day and in the future.
Yours sincerely,
[INSERT NAME]
Download this template letter as a World Hepatitis Alliance branded Word document below.
Actions for healthcare professionals
People working in healthcare are uniquely placed to make a difference for patients, communities, and local and national health systems.
How you can take action
- Attend the World Hepatitis Day webinars.
- Download posters and flyers from the campaign resources page and display them at your hospital or clinic.
- Raise awareness of hepatitis and its link to liver cancer in your hospital and/or local practice with our campaign resources.
- Encourage hepatitis testing in healthcare settings and participate in screening initiatives, at national and local levels.
- Take hepatitis and liver cancer training to help increase testing rates and combat stigma experienced in healthcare settings.
- Partner with local community groups to improve linkage to care and support for people at risk of liver cancer, and reduce barriers to services.
- Join the NOhep Medical Visionaries, the global movement committed to eliminating viral hepatitis.
Download our new briefing on WHO’s Global Hepatitis Report 2026 to understand the scale of the hepatitis emergency.
Download our new EU Liver Cancer Policy Toolkit for more recommendations.
Actions for policy and decision makers
People working in governance and policy have both the chance and the ability to put hepatitis testing at the top of the local and national agenda – making decisions that will change the lives of millions of people for the better.
How you can take action
- Prioritise hepatitis testing in health strategies.
- Support local testing initiatives through your attendance and endorsement.
- Be a champion for increasing access to affordable hepatitis testing and encourage colleagues to do the same.
- Help raise awareness during World Hepatitis Day by sharing your support on social media – use #WorldHepatitisDay and social media assets from the campaign resources page.
- Provide information on hepatitis testing via official websites and through social media.
- Don’t forget to signpost to World Hepatitis Alliance members and community-based organisation in your country that can provide further support for people living with or affected by viral hepatitis.
- Visit WHO’s website for the most up-to-date international data and best practice recommendations for hepatitis: www.who.int/health-topics/hepatitis
Download our new EU Liver Cancer Policy Toolkit for more recommendations.
Download our new briefing on WHO’s Global Hepatitis Report 2026 to understand the scale of the hepatitis emergency.
