WORLD Hepatitis Day is being observed under the theme ‘Hepatitis: Let’s break it down’, a call to remove the difficulties in accessing prevention, testing and treatment. The message has great relevance for Pakistan, which bears one of the world’s highest hepatitis C burdens despite the disease being both preventable and, in most cases, curable. Millions remain infected while countless others risk exposure through unsafe injections, poorly sterilised medical equipment, inadequately screened blood transfusions and lax infection-control practices. These are all problems born of weak regulation and inconsistent enforcement. Public awareness is also inadequate; many seek medical help only after irreversible liver damage has occurred. Every World Hepatitis Day brings renewed pledges, yet awareness campaigns alone cannot halt transmission if unsafe practices continue unchecked across both public and private healthcare settings.

Pakistan has taken an encouraging step by launching a national hepatitis C elimination programme that aims to expand screening and treatment. But ambitious targets alone will not achieve the goal of eliminating hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030. Provincial health authorities must rigorously monitor clinics, laboratories and blood banks, while professional bodies should ensure compliance with infection-control standards. Vaccination against hepatitis B, particularly the timely birth dose, also deserves emphasis, alongside affordable access to diagnostics and medicines. Just as importantly, stigma surrounding hepatitis must be challenged so that testing becomes routine rather than something delayed out of fear or shame. Pakistan has demonstrated through campaigns against polio and other diseases that sustained political commitment can mobilise health systems on a national scale. Hepatitis demands the same determination. The day should therefore serve as an opportunity to replace fragmented efforts with sustained action. Only by breaking down barriers to prevention, diagnosis and care can the country hope to end the cycle of infection itself.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2026