Millions of people across Europe are living with
hepatitis B or C without knowing it, putting them at serious risk of liver disease and cancer, public health authorities have warned.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said in a new report that around five million people in the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway are living with chronic hepatitis B or C – but the majority are undiagnosed and untreated.
Often referred to as “silent infections”, hepatitis B and C can live undetected in the body for years, slowly damaging the liver until symptoms appear in the form of liver fibrosis (scarring), cirrhosis, or cancer.
The virus is typically spread through contact with infected blood or bodily fluids, including through unprotected sex or shared drug equipment.
The report estimates that 3.2 million people in the region are infected with hepatitis B, and 1.8 million have hepatitis C. Together, these viruses are linked to roughly 50,000 deaths every year.
