WHO: Hepatitis remains a serious threat in Afghanistan

KABUL: As the world marks World Hepatitis Day on July 28, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that hepatitis B and C continue to pose a major public health threat in Afghanistan, where late diagnosis and limited access to healthcare contribute to thousands of preventable deaths each year.

Despite the availability of effective treatment and free vaccines, hepatitis B and C—commonly known as “silent killers”—remain widespread and underdiagnosed across the country, the organization said in a statement posted on X.

“Many lives are lost to hepatitis in Afghanistan, not because it cannot be treated, but because it is diagnosed too late,” said Edwin Salvador, WHO Representative in Afghanistan.

According to official figures from Afghanistan’s National Program for HIV, STIs and Hepatitis Control, nearly one million people were tested for hepatitis in the first three months of 2025 alone. Over the past two years, more than 94,000 cases of hepatitis B and C have been documented nationwide.

From 2023 through the first quarter of 2025, at least 67,230 people—including 37,604 men and 29,626 women—tested positive for hepatitis B. An additional 27,397 people tested positive for hepatitis C during the same period, the data shows.

WHO warned that hepatitis remains a “silent epidemic” in Afghanistan and urged residents to get tested and vaccinated as part of efforts to eliminate the disease.

Local physicians say that without urgent investment in prevention, screening, and treatment, the hepatitis situation in Afghanistan risks spiraling into a public health disaster.

“This is slowly becoming a catastrophe,” said Dr. Abdullah Ahmadi, former chief physician at Wazir Akbar Khan Hospital in Kabul. “WHO must take this seriously—identify high-risk communities, provide vaccinations, and improve public health infrastructure.”

Ahmadi also urged families to seek medical testing if a household member is diagnosed, adding, “If one person in a home or neighborhood is infected, others should get screened immediately.”

Many Afghans say they are unable to access timely medical care, particularly in remote provinces where healthcare infrastructure is limited.

“I had hepatitis, but didn’t find out until it was serious,” said a resident of Kabul. “I wasn’t vaccinated. Now treatment is expensive and hard to find, but I have no choice. I tell others—please, get vaccinated.”

In Badghis Province, a woman described how her husband’s diagnosis came too late. “We don’t have a hospital nearby. Medicine is expensive, and we didn’t even know what hepatitis was. Now we’re all at risk,” she said.

Hepatitis is a viral infection that targets the liver, most commonly transmitted through contaminated needles, unsafe medical equipment, unprotected sex, or unsafe food and water. While there are five types of hepatitis, types B and C are the most dangerous, with the potential to cause liver cancer if left untreated.

Despite growing awareness, Afghanistan still faces systemic barriers to containing the disease, including poor access to testing, weak public health outreach, and stigma surrounding infection.

WHO continues to call for a nationwide push to improve screening and vaccine coverage and has urged international partners to scale up support to prevent a worsening health emergency.

Courtesy: amu.tv