Key facts

• Hepatitis C is an inflammation of the liver caused by the hepatitis C virus.
• The virus can cause both acute and chronic hepatitis, ranging in severity from a mild illness to a serious, lifelong illness including liver cirrhosis and cancer.
• The hepatitis C virus is a bloodborne virus and most infection occurs through exposure to blood from unsafe injections and procedures in health care, unscreened blood transfusions, sharing of needles and syringes among people who inject drugs and sexual practices that lead to exposure to blood.
• Globally, an estimated 47 million people have chronic hepatitis C virus infection, with about 0.9 million new infections occurring per year.
• WHO estimated that in 2024, approximately 239 000 people died from hepatitis C, mostly from cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (primary liver cancer).
• Direct-acting antiviral medicines (DAAs) can cure more than 95% of persons with hepatitis C infection, but access to diagnosis and treatment is low.
• There is currently no effective vaccine against hepatitis C.