28/07/2026

BRIEF HISTORY OF WORLD HEPATITIS DAY
World Hepatitis Day, a globally recognized health observance, is commemorated annually on the 28th day of July. This significant date was meticulously chosen to honour the natal anniversary of the eminent Nobel Laureate, Professor Dr. Baruch Samuel Blumberg (1925-2011), the distinguished American physician and geneticist who, in the year 1967, discovered the Hepatitis B virus and subsequently pioneered its diagnostic assay and vaccine, thereby laying the foundation for the prevention and control of viral hepatitis.
The origin of this observance can be traced to the advocacy efforts of patient groups. Initially, it was observed on the 19th of May. However, in a landmark decision, the 63rd World Health Assembly in May 2010 adopted Resolution WHA63.18, which officially designated July 28th as World Hepatitis Day, thereby elevating it to an official World Health Organization global health campaign.
Since its formal institutionalization, the day has served as a formidable global platform to heighten public consciousness regarding the grave burden of viral hepatitis — an inflammatory affliction of the liver caused by five distinct strains: Hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E. It seeks to galvanize political will, promote enhanced screening, vaccination, and treatment, and to advance the ambitious global objective of eliminating viral hepatitis as a public health threat by the year 2030.
Today, under the auspices of the WHO, it stands as a clarion call that with timely diagnosis and appropriate medical intervention, hepatitis can be prevented, treated, and ultimately eradicated.
