Every year on 28 July, World Hepatitis Day is observed. Its goal is to raise awareness about the prevention, early detection and treatment of these diseases. Viral hepatitis can be asymptomatic for a long time, but can lead to serious liver diseases – cirrhosis and liver cancer.
The theme of the World Health Organization campaign in 2026 is "Hepatitis: Let's break it down" (Hepatitis: Let's break it down). Its goal is to remove barriers to timely testing, treatment and medical support.
To this end, WHO calls for testing for hepatitis B and C, ensuring timely vaccination of newborns against hepatitis B, and discussing with a doctor the possibilities of early diagnosis and treatment.
According to official data, in Ukraine about 5% of the population are infected with the hepatitis C virus, and 3,6% of the population have the chronic form of the disease. Viral hepatitis B also remains a serious threat to public health: according to WHO data, about 256 million people worldwide live with it.
In 2025 in Ukraine, the standards of medical care for adults and children with viral hepatitis B and C, as well as the corresponding evidence-based clinical guidelines, were updated. During the preparation of the standards, multidisciplinary working groups reviewed the recommendations of the WHO, European and American professional associations. Methodological and informational support was provided by specialists of the State Expert Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine.
The updated documents define evidence-based approaches to prevention, screening, early diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of adults and children. Particular attention is paid to preventing disease progression, the development of cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma and virus transmission.
The standards of medical care for viral hepatitis C are aimed at early detection of the disease and timely initiation of treatment, which makes it possible to achieve recovery.
In viral hepatitis B, therapy helps to control the disease, reduce the risk of its progression and improve the quality of life of patients. The documents also cover the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of the virus, its reactivation and the development of extrahepatic manifestations. To date, vaccination remains the key means of preventing hepatitis B.
The updated standards help healthcare professionals apply unified evidence-based approaches, and patients receive timely diagnosis, treatment and the necessary medical support.
The documents can be found in the Register of Medical Technological Documents:
Standards of medical care "Viral hepatitis B" in adults and children https://www.dec.gov.ua/mtd/virusnyj-gepatyt-v/
Standards of medical care "Viral hepatitis C" in adults and children https://www.dec.gov.ua/mtd/virusnyj-gepatyt-s/
