World Hepatitis Summit 2026: What you need to know.

World Hepatitis Summit 2026 took place on April 28–30 in Bangkok, Thailand. The team of the public organization BCD joined the event in an online format. 

During the Summit, the international patient community adopted an important declaration with concrete steps to overcome hepatitis.

◽️ General position of the declaration:

Hepatitis remains one of the leading causes of death in the world, despite the fact that it is preventable and treatable. The main reason is insufficient action by states.

◽️ Main theses:

1. More vaccination, testing and treatment are needed, especially for people at risk.
2. Hepatitis care should be part of the regular health system, not a separate program.
3. More funding, affordable medicines and vaccines are needed.
4. It is important to remove stigma and discrimination so that people are not afraid to seek help.
5. The state must take responsibility, set clear goals and openly show results.

World Hepatitis Summit Declaration

Accelerate Global Action, Stop Preventable Deaths. Eliminate Hepatitis. Act Now.
We gather at the World Hepatitis Summit at a critical moment.

Viral hepatitis is now one of the leading causes of death globally, despite being
preventable, treatable, and, in the case of hepatitis C, curable. Despite progress, the
global response to hepatitis is not only failing to match the scale of the crisis, shockingly,
hepatitis B deaths are increasing in all regions.
Behind every death there is a mother, brother, father, sister, child and friend and they are
being failed.
The evidence is clear. The tools exist. What is missing is not solutions — it is political will.
Every delay means more preventable deaths. Every missed opportunity deepens
inequality. We are united and we will not accept a world where people continue to die
from a preventable and treatable disease.
To scale up responses which are equitable, accessible, affordable, centred on
human rights and dignity, and which put people living with and affected by hepatitis
as decision-makers, implementers and accountability partners, we call for action to:

1.Prevent new infections

• Recognize hepatitis delta must be recognised and addressed as a critical globalhealth issue

• Decentralise and expand access to the hepatitis B birth dose, ensuring it reaches
  every child, everywhere
• Scale up testing and treatment to reach underserved and marginalised
  populations
• Prioritise safe injections, harm reduction services and catch-up vaccination for all
  those at high risk or who need protection.

2.Integrate hepatitis prevention and care into health systems

Fragmented responses are failing.

• Strengthen and integrate vaccination into maternal and child health services
• Full integration of hepatitis services into routine primary care, HIV services,
  antenatal care and broader health systems.
• Hepatitis elimination is liver cancer prevention. Integrate hepatitis programmes
  within cancer control strategies and cancer surveillance programmes.

3.Invest in sustainable and local solutions - Fund the response and confront the cost of inaction

We must transform how hepatitis responses are prioritised and financed. The cost of
inaction — in lives and resources — must be recognised and acted upon. Dependence
and inequity must be replaced with sustainability and sovereignty.

• Expanding local and regional manufacturing of diagnostics, vaccines, and
  treatments. Building resilient, self-sufficient health systems
• Inclusion of hepatitis prevention, diagnosis and treatment in national health
  insurance supported by dedicated domestic funding through universal health
  coverage Governments and donors must significantly increase effective and
  sustainable funding for hepatitis programmes - through costed national hepatitis
  elimination plans, dedicated budget lines, clear national targets, annual public
  reporting, and community-led monitoring mechanisms

4.Leave no one behind: End stigma, discrimination, and inequality

Stigma is a barrier to care — and a violation of human rights.

• Laws and policies that eliminate stigma and discrimination
• Gender-responsive approaches to hepatitis services
• Protection of the rights and dignity of all people affected
• Scale up testing and treatment to reach underserved and marginalised
  populations, including people who inject drugs, people in prisons, migrants,people living with HIV or TB, sex workers, MSM, transgender people, Indigenous peoples and other marginalised communities

5.Political Leadership and Accountability

Progress depends on political will.

Transparent reporting on progress

Our Call to Action
Governments

To act now — recommit to the hepatitis elimination goals, make political decisions driven
by science and shaped by communities and to fund, implement, and scale up hepatitis
responses, and prioritise elimination within national health agendas.
The Scientific Community
To actively support elimination and deliver science in service of people — through
innovation, evidence generation, and partnership with affected communities.
Donors and Funders
To increase and sustain investment, recognising hepatitis as a global health priority.
Civil Society and Communities
To continue leading, advocating, fighting stigma and discrimination and holding systems
accountable.
Elimination for everyone, everywhere, right now!

Immediate, high-level political commitment to hepatitis elimination

Clear national targets and accountability mechanisms