On World Hepatitis Day, July 28, 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified the Hepatitis D virus (HDV) as carcinogenic to humans, placing it alongside Hepatitis B and C in terms of cancer-causing risk. HDV occurs only in individuals already infected with Hepatitis B and increases the risk of liver cancer by 2 to 6 times compared with HBV alone.

Viral hepatitis types B, C, and D collectively affect over 300 million people globally, causing nearly 1.3 million deaths annually—mainly through cirrhosis and liver cancer and HDV’s new classification amplifies the urgency of prevention and early detection efforts.

In 2024, WHO released updated guidelines for HDV testing and diagnosis, and novel antiviral therapies, such as bulevirtide, have received regulatory approval in Europe. Still, treatment remains limited and evolving. The full benefit of these medical advances hinges on urgent scaling of vaccination (especially against Hepatitis B), expanded testing, and integration of treatment, harm reduction, and awareness strategies into national health frameworks.

Despite progress—123 countries now have national hepatitis action plans and 147 provide HBV birth-dose vaccination—diagnosis and treatment rates remain critically low, falling well below WHO’s 2025 targets. Specifically, only 13% of HBV cases and 36% of HCV cases were diagnosed by 2022, with treatment coverage at just 3% and 20%, respectively.

WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned: “Every 30 seconds, someone dies from a hepatitis-related liver cancer—but we have the tools to stop it.” The reclassification of HDV now serves as a powerful catalyst for policy, investment, and global cooperation to eliminate viral hepatitis and prevent millions of avoidable deaths.