Cases of hepatitis A in Russia have reached an all-time low
Cases of hepatitis A in Russia have reached an all-time low, says Rospotrebnadzor
28.07.2025
Also, according to the agency, instances of hepatitis B among children under 17 years of age have been practically eliminated.
28 July is World Hepatitis Day. This year’s theme is “Fighting hepatitis: let’s break down the barriers”. In order to mark the occasion, Rospotrebnadzor has published statistics that show a significant fall in hepatitis cases in Russia.
The incidence of hepatitis A has hit an all-time low, with cases of acute hepatitis B having fallen 16.5 times since the introduction of a mass vaccination programme in 2006. Instances of chronic hepatitis B have also gone down by 30%.
“These successes have been achieved thanks to domestically produced vaccines and the immunisation of children from their very first days. The take-up of hepatitis B vaccinations of children aged 12 months for the past fifteen years has been steady at over 95%”, says Rospotrebnadzor. 24.8 million Russians were screened for viral hepatitis C last year.
According to the agency, nearly 58 million people around the world have been diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C. Although there is currently no vaccine against the virus due to its high variability, modern antiviral drugs can cure the disease in 95% of cases.
Hepatitis C is often asymptomatic, so it is important to have mass screening of the population. Russia has a programme in place to combat the disease, which includes early diagnosis procedures, as well as raising public awareness of the virus.
As part of World Hepatitis Day, the Central Research Institute of Epidemiology is running an “Act without delay” campaign from 28-31 July, during which anyone can get tested for hepatitis B or C free of charge.
