World Hepatitis Day: A call for urgency, awareness and human responsibility
Heramba Nath
Among the myriad public health challenges confronting our generation, viral hepatitis remains a silent yet unrelenting threat, taking thousands of lives annually across the world. Each year on 28th July, World Hepatitis Day reminds us of our shared responsibility to understand, prevent, and address the dangers posed by this disease. It is not just a day of remembrance or formality; it is a moment to pause and reflect on what it truly means to protect our liver, our families, and our communities. In India, especially in rural and underserved regions, hepatitis continues to spread, often undiagnosed, unnoticed, and untreated. This editorial attempts to explore why hepatitis happens to the human body, the roots of its spread, the modern preventive measures available, and the essential role of vaccination, clean drinking water, and personal hygiene in combating this grave threat.
Viral hepatitis refers to the inflammation of the liver caused by a group of viruses known as hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E. While some forms are acute and short-lived, others are chronic and may remain hidden in the body for years, eventually leading to severe liver damage, cirrhosis, or even liver cancer. Hepatitis B and C, in particular, are known to cause long-term complications and are responsible for the highest number of deaths. Unfortunately, despite the availability of vaccines and treatment in many cases, millions of people remain unaware of their infection until it is too late.
Hepatitis occurs due to various causes depending on the type of virus. Hepatitis A and E are primarily transmitted through contaminated food and water. These forms are more prevalent in areas with poor sanitation, unclean environments, and where personal hygiene practices are compromised. Hepatitis B, C, and D are usually spread through contact with infected blood and bodily fluids, unsafe injections, transfusions, or from mother to child during childbirth. In recent years, intravenous drug use, unregulated tattooing, and unprotected sexual contact have also contributed to the rising incidence of these variants. While medical science has made notable progress in diagnosing and managing the disease, the root causes lie deeply entangled with social inequality, lack of awareness, ignorance, and systemic public health neglect.
One of the most overlooked contributors to the spread of hepatitis is poor personal hygiene. When people neglect basic hygiene habits such as handwashing after using the toilet or before eating, the chances of hepatitis A and E transmission increase drastically. In rural and semi-urban India, where open defecation, poorly maintained public toilets, and lack of awareness about sanitation still persist, hepatitis finds fertile ground. Children playing near open drains, families using contaminated ponds for daily water needs, and street vendors serving food with unwashed hands or dirty utensils—these common realities form an invisible network of viral transmission that continues to damage lives silently. Hepatitis thrives where hygiene fails.
The role of clean drinking water in the prevention of hepatitis cannot be overstated. Contaminated water is one of the most common carriers of hepatitis A and E viruses. Despite government efforts and schemes to supply piped, treated water to every household, large swathes of the country, particularly flood-prone areas like Assam and other north-eastern states, still depend on untreated water from open wells, rivers, or hand pumps. During monsoon, the risk amplifies as sewage lines overflow and mix with drinking water sources. People who unknowingly drink, cook, or wash their food with this water become victims of a cycle of infection. It is heartbreaking that in the 21st century, the simple act of drinking a glass of water remains a potential danger for millions due to administrative failures, lack of public awareness, and infrastructural gaps.
Vaccination stands as one of the greatest shields against hepatitis, particularly for hepatitis A and B. India’s immunisation programmes have gradually expanded their scope, yet adult vaccination remains limited, sporadic, and largely unknown to the general population. Children today receive hepatitis B vaccines under the Universal Immunisation Programme, but many adults remain unprotected. Those in the health profession, sanitation workers, or people with chronic illnesses need regular vaccination reminders and accessibility. Yet due to lack of outreach, illiteracy, and absence of healthcare workers in remote areas, vaccination often remains an abstract idea rather than a real preventive practice.
Besides vaccination, public education is the backbone of hepatitis prevention. But public health education in India often becomes reactive rather than proactive. Posters and campaigns rise temporarily around observance days and then fade away. Instead, what we need is continuous, grassroots-level awareness through schools, health centres, panchayats, and community radio. People should be made aware that hepatitis is not only curable or manageable but preventable in many cases through simple habits—washing hands, not sharing razors or syringes, insisting on screened blood transfusions, and maintaining personal cleanliness. Religious leaders, social workers, local celebrities, and teachers should be roped into these movements so that knowledge flows organically, not just through medical jargon or formal campaigns.
It is also critical to address the stigma around hepatitis. Many who are infected, especially with hepatitis B or C, hesitate to disclose their status due to fear of discrimination. This leads to late diagnoses and silent spread. People living with hepatitis must not be seen as ‘untouchable’ or ‘dirty.’ Instead, they deserve empathy, treatment, and dignity. Public spaces, workplaces, schools, and families should be sensitised through awareness programmes and inclusive education.
Equally, the role of responsible governance cannot be ignored. The Health Department at both Central and State levels must make hepatitis control a priority under public health policy. Resources must be increased for testing, early detection, free treatment, clean water supply, and vaccination. In flood-prone districts like Darrang, Dhubri, and Barpeta in Assam, temporary outbreaks of hepatitis are often reported but rarely addressed systematically. These events should not be treated as one-time disasters but as indicators of deeper systemic neglect that demands long-term preventive planning.
Hepatitis is not just a disease of the liver; it is a mirror reflecting our failures in water sanitation, healthcare access, and hygiene education. It shows us how the smallest negligence—unclean hands, impure water, unsafe blood, poor awareness—can spiral into a tragedy for individuals and families. The death of a young mother, the chronic illness of a breadwinner, the weakness of a school-going child—all of these bear silent testimony to the cost of our collective inaction.
World Hepatitis Day is a moment to rise beyond slogans. It is a call to act: to immunise the vulnerable, to educate the ignorant, to clean the water sources, to honour sanitation workers, and to build a culture where cleanliness is not a formality but a lived discipline. In Assam, as in the rest of India, the time to act is now. Let us not allow another child to die due to a disease that is largely preventable. Let no household be thrown into poverty due to late detection and costly treatment. Let no one suffer silently in shame or neglect. Hepatitis deserves not just our attention, but our urgency and resolve.
If we fail to listen to the quiet warnings of hepatitis today, the consequences will speak louder tomorrow. But if we act now, with clarity, compassion, and coordination, we can indeed build a future where hepatitis no longer threatens our lives or our health systems. That future starts with each of us—with the water we drink, the hygiene we practice, the vaccines we take, and the awareness we spread. It is not just about liver health. It is about public trust, human dignity, and the moral health of a nation.