Observed on 28 July, World Hepatitis Day draws attention to viral hepatitis – an inflammation of the liver that can cause serious liver disease, cirrhosis and liver cancer.
The theme for 2026, “Hepatitis: Let’s break it down,” calls for the removal of the financial, social and health-system barriers that prevent people from accessing vaccination, testing, treatment and continuing care. The message is particularly relevant to shipping, where globally mobile workers may encounter varied health risks while also facing practical barriers to timely medical support.
How World Hepatitis Day began
The campaign grew from a community-led observance established by the World Hepatitis Alliance. The first community-led World Hepatitis Day was held in 2008, before the World Health Assembly adopted its first resolution on viral hepatitis in 2010. The first official WHO World Hepatitis Day followed in 2011.
The date honours the birthday of Nobel laureate Dr Baruch Blumberg, who discovered the hepatitis B virus and helped develop a diagnostic test and vaccine against it. World Hepatitis Day now serves as an annual opportunity to strengthen awareness, prevention, diagnosis and treatment worldwide.
The 2026 campaign stresses that the scientific tools required to eliminate viral hepatitis already exist. Vaccines can prevent hepatitis A and B, hepatitis C can usually be cured with direct-acting antiviral medicines, and long-term treatment for hepatitis B can reduce the risk of cirrhosis and liver cancer. Nevertheless, millions remain undiagnosed or untreated because of low awareness, stigma, unequal access and gaps in health systems.
Hepatitis in figures
The scale of the challenge remains substantial. WHO estimates that:
287 million people were living with chronic hepatitis B or C in 2024;
1.3 million people died from related cirrhosis and liver cancer;
240 million people were living with chronic hepatitis B, which caused approximately 1.1 million deaths;
47 million people had chronic hepatitis C, which caused around 239,000 deaths; and
only 45% of babies worldwide received a hepatitis B vaccine dose within 24 hours of birth.
At the same time, direct-acting antiviral medicines can cure more than 95% of people with hepatitis C, illustrating the continuing gap between available medical solutions and access to them.
Why hepatitis matters at sea
There are five main viral types – A, B, C, D and E – and they are not transmitted in the same way. Hepatitis A and E are mainly associated with contaminated food or water and inadequate sanitation. Hepatitis B and C are blood-borne, while hepatitis B may also be transmitted through sexual contact and other body fluids. Hepatitis D occurs only in people who also have hepatitis B.
For seafarers, occupational mobility is an important consideration. Crews travel between regions with very different infection rates, sanitation standards, vaccination coverage and healthcare capacity.
ITF Seafarers notes that international transport workers’ working conditions can place them at increased risk of hepatitis B and highlights vaccination as an important preventive measure. Hepatitis A can also be relevant for people travelling to areas where safe water, food hygiene and sanitation are less reliable.
Potential exposure can arise through contaminated food or water during port calls; contact with infected blood following an injury or first-aid response; inadequately sterilised medical, dental, tattoo or piercing equipment; and sharing personal items such as razors or toothbrushes. Incomplete vaccination, limited awareness and delayed access to shore-based care may further increase vulnerability.
These risks do not mean that routine shipboard contact spreads hepatitis. Hepatitis B, for example, is not transmitted by hugging, holding hands, coughing, sneezing or sharing eating utensils. Clear communication about transmission is therefore essential both for prevention and for addressing unnecessary fear.
Recognizing possible warning signs
One of the greatest challenges is that viral hepatitis can remain silent. Many people with a new hepatitis B or C infection have no obvious symptoms, and chronic infection may only be detected after liver damage has developed.
When symptoms occur, they may include unusual fatigue, fever, loss of appetite, nausea or vomiting, abdominal discomfort, dark urine, pale stools and jaundice- the yellowing of the skin or eyes.
At sea, these symptoms can easily be attributed to fatigue, diet, seasickness or another short-term illness. A seafarer who feels unwell should therefore report symptoms promptly through the vessel’s medical procedures and seek professional assessment. Diagnosis cannot be made from symptoms alone; appropriate testing is essential.
From awareness to shipboard prevention
World Hepatitis Day offers shipping companies an opportunity to review whether hepatitis is adequately covered within their occupational health and safety systems.
Existing maritime guidance has encouraged companies to adopt a hepatitis policy that gives crews clear information about the different types, transmission routes, preventive practices and access to appropriate vaccination for those whose work or travel creates additional risk.
A practical company approach should begin before joining the vessel. Seafarers should be able to review their vaccination history with a qualified healthcare professional and receive risk-based advice concerning hepatitis A and B.
Pre-employment and periodic medical programmes can also support confidential testing where clinically appropriate, followed by referral and continuity of care when a condition is identified. Vaccines against hepatitis A and B are available, while there is currently no effective vaccine against hepatitis C.
Onboard controls should include reliable potable water and food-safety management, effective hand hygiene, properly equipped first-aid stations, safe handling and disposal of sharps, and suitable protective equipment when blood exposure is possible. Ships should also have clear procedures explaining what to do following a needlestick injury or contact with blood.
Crews should be reminded not to share razors, toothbrushes or other items that may carry traces of blood. During shore leave, medical, dental, tattoo or piercing procedures should only be obtained from reputable providers using sterile equipment.
Training is equally important. Seafarers who may provide first aid should understand standard precautions and know what action to take immediately following possible exposure. Masters and shore teams should also know how to arrange confidential medical advice, testing or treatment without unnecessary delay.
Breaking down stigma as well as infection
The 2026 theme also applies to the social barriers surrounding hepatitis. Fear of losing employment or being judged may discourage a seafarer from undergoing testing, disclosing relevant information to a doctor or remaining in treatment. Yet a diagnosis does not automatically mean that a person is unfit for work or poses a risk through ordinary social contact.
Marine Medical Solutions has called for stronger safeguarding measures while insisting that affected seafarers should not be excluded. As Dr Jens Tülsner stated: “Seafarers living with HIV or Hepatitis should never face discrimination.”
He argued that the industry must find an appropriate balance between protecting medical privacy and managing possible blood-borne exposure risks onboard. Any company response should therefore be medically informed, confidential, proportionate and focused on safe working practices rather than fear.
WHO has similarly emphasised that elimination will require people and communities to be placed at the centre of the response. According to Dr Tereza Kasaeva, Director of WHO’s Department for HIV, Tuberculosis, Hepatitis and STIs, progress demonstrates that elimination is possible, but access remains highly uneven. She noted that only around one in four people living with hepatitis B know their status and fewer than one in 20 receive treatment.
A practical message for shipping
Marking World Hepatitis Day should go beyond an annual poster or social-media message. For shipping companies, it can prompt a review of vaccination access, food and water controls, first-aid procedures, exposure protocols, testing pathways and continuity of treatment across contracts and countries.
For seafarers, the message is to understand the routes of transmission, avoid preventable exposure, check vaccination status, undergo testing when advised and report possible symptoms early.
WHO’s 2026 call is ultimately about converting proven science into accessible services. In the maritime sector, “breaking it down” means removing the practical barriers created by mobility, distance from healthcare and fragmented follow-up—while also breaking down the stigma that keeps people silent.
With informed crews, supportive employers and timely access to prevention and care, hepatitis can be managed more safely at sea, ensuring that progress towards elimination reaches the people who keep global trade moving.