WHO: Hepatitis is second-leading infectious cause of death worldwide

More than 6,000 people a day are infected with viral hepatitis - and progress fighting the disease has stalled, a recently released World Health Organization report suggests.

The analysis, released at the World Hepatitis Summit in Lisbon this month, looks at the burden of viral hepatitis in 187 countries and assesses the world's progress toward eliminating the disease.

Though hepatitis can be caused by heavy alcohol use and some medications, it can also be sparked by a virus that causes liver inflammation, jaundice, fever and other symptoms. There are five main virus strains, and some types can be prevented through vaccination. Two strains of the virus, hepatitis B and C, lead to long-term disease, with hepatitis B causing the vast majority of deaths.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2024/04/14/hepatitis-infections-deaths-rising/