Pakistan marks World Hepatitis Day 2025 with a renewed dedication to ending the hepatitis B and C infections. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that the government will screen 16.5 million citizens against hepatitis by 2030 and treat every positive case at the expense of the state.
According to the World Health Organization Eastern Mediterranean Office (EMRO) and Frontiers in Public Health (2025), nearly 12 million people in Pakistan are currently living with chronic hepatitis B or C, making it one of the countries with the highest burden globally. Each year, around 150,000 new hepatitis cases are reported nationwide.
According to the Global Hepatitis Report – Pakistan 2025 (Global Hep Network), about 10 million people in Pakistan are infected with hepatitis C and the prevalence rate of the HCV in adults stands at 11.5%. Balochistan is the highest burdened with 26 percent, followed by Punjab 9 percent, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 6 percent, and Sindh at 5.6 percent.
President Asif Ali Zardari emphasized the early screening as well as strict protocols of treatment. He also pointed out bad medical practices and low levels of awareness as some of the factors that had significantly contributed to the increasing infection rate.
Pakistan needs to meet the WHO hepatitis elimination goal of 2030, says the Frontiers in Public Health 2025 study.
- Screen 18.9 million people annually
- 1.1 million treatments of hepatitis annually
- Avoid 470,000 new infections every year
Under international strategies and practices, the government already has started a national program on hepatitis elimination with emphasis on timely-based diagnosis, mass screening methods, and the availability of treatment.
