As the world marked World Hepatitis Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) delivered a stark warning: Hepatitis D now ranks among the deadliest cancer-causing viruses.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), WHO’s specialized cancer agency, confirmed that Hepatitis D causes a two- to six-fold higher risk of liver cancer than Hepatitis B alone.
This reclassification puts Hepatitis D in the same group as Hepatitis B and C both already known to cause cancer.
WHO’s call to action came with urgency. Dr. Meg Doherty, the incoming Director of Science for Health at WHO, urged governments to increase screening, awareness, and treatment access.
She noted that while new treatments for Hepatitis D are emerging, success depends on expanding vaccination, testing, and long-term care services.
Unlike Hepatitis C, which responds to oral drugs in two to three months, Hepatitis D still lacks accessible treatment options. Hepatitis B, in contrast, can be controlled with lifelong medication.
However, all three viruses B, C, and Dvcan quietly attack the liver for years, causing cirrhosis, failure, or cancer.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO’s Director-General, drove the point home.
“Every 30 seconds, someone dies from liver cancer linked to hepatitis,” he said. “Yet we have the tools to stop these deaths.”
WHO estimates that over 300 million people live with chronic Hepatitis B, C, or D globally.
These infections cause more than 1.3 million deaths annually, mainly from cancer and liver failure.
In Nigeria, doctors also sounded the alarm. At a free hepatitis screening in Abuja organized by the Guild of Medical Laboratory Directors, experts described hepatitis as a “silent killer.”
Dr. Emmanuel Chijoke, head of Lyon Medical Diagnostics, said most Nigerians ignore early testing. “Vaccines exist for Hepatitis B, yet many don’t know their status,” he warned.
Zeynab Adekanyi, Director of Ayaz Lab, stressed urgency. “The earlier you know, the better. Delays kill. But caught early, hepatitis is manageable,” she said.