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The global battle against hepatitis is at a turning point in 2025. Despite decades of progress, viral hepatitis remains one of the top ten global causes of death, claiming 1.3 million lives annually and infecting more than 6,000 people every day. Types B and C account for the vast majority of these cases, silently fueling liver cancer and chronic liver disease worldwide.
The good news? Hepatitis can already be eradicated thanks to immunisations, efficient prevention measures, and therapeutic therapies. The bad news? The World Health Organisation (WHO) wants to eradicate hepatitis as a public health hazard by 2030, but we're still a long way off. What is lacking, then?
Digital health, the unseen infrastructure that bridges gaps, unifies care, and brings innovation to scale, is the solution. "Let's Break It Down," the World Hepatitis Day campaign this year exhorts. And using intelligent, networked digital technology to break down barriers is part of that.
The Issue: Hepatitis Elimination Is Stalling
Globally, over 296 million people live with chronic hepatitis B, and about 58 million with hepatitis C. But a staggering 90% of them are unaware of their infection. In resource-constrained settings, screening remains inconsistent, follow-up care is fragmented, and treatment access is uneven.
Even in digitally advanced nations, hepatitis often slips through the cracks due to:
- Lack of real-time data surveillance
- Poor integration between labs, clinics, and outreach programs
- Limited use of automation to scale preventive services
What’s missing isn’t medical knowledge, it’s connectivity, continuity, and coordination. And this is where digital health innovation can revolutionize elimination strategies.
The Case for Digital Health in Hepatitis Elimination
From electronic health records (EHRs) and mobile apps to AI-powered diagnostics and real-time surveillance, digital tools are already transforming care models in other diseases. Now, hepatitis needs the same digital boost.
1. Expanding Access Through Smart Screening and Outreach
Digital platforms allow at-risk populations to access self-screening kits, mobile health clinics, and telehealth consultations. AI algorithms analyze EHRs to flag patients for screening based on demographics, comorbidities, or geographic risk factors.
Stat: Only 10% of the world’s 254 million people with chronic hepatitis B know their status. For hepatitis C, it’s about 30%.
2. Digital Diagnostics and Point-of-Care Innovation
Connected rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) now transmit real-time results to centralized health systems. Paired with cloud-based dashboards, health authorities can track outbreaks, monitor regional testing rates, and respond faster.
This also allows for faster linkage to care—patients testing positive can be referred immediately via telehealth or digital scheduling systems, rather than falling off the grid.
Example: India’s Hepatitis C program in Punjab used digital tracking to register over 75% of confirmed cases into treatment—more than double the previous average.
3. Telehealth: Closing the Treatment Gap
Once diagnosed, continuity of care is critical but often interrupted due to travel barriers, stigma, or cost.
Telemedicine platforms, combined with digital prescription systems and remote lab monitoring, help ensure ongoing management for hepatitis patients—especially those with liver complications.
This is particularly valuable in rural or refugee populations, where hepatology specialists are scarce. A virtual check-in may be the difference between treatment adherence and dropout.
4. Digital Contact Tracing and Risk Mapping
Borrowing from COVID-19 playbooks, geospatial data and contact tracing tools can identify transmission clusters and prioritize high-risk zones for community outreach.
A connected system allows for:
- Real-time outbreak alerts
- Geo-tagged vaccination campaigns
- Smarter deployment of test kits
5. Data-Driven Policy and Predictive Analytics
NGOs and health ministries can use machine learning, predictive analytics, and real-time dashboards to:
- Model future caseloads
- Forecast resource needs
- Measure program impact with precision
This enables proactive, not reactive responses—ensuring that funding, staff, and treatment are directed to where they’re needed most.
Digital Health Success Stories in Hepatitis Control
- Egypt: Used national EHR integration and mobile screening units to screen over 60 million people for hepatitis C. Cure rates soared after digital follow-up protocols were established.
- Rwanda: Leveraged mHealth tools to educate rural populations on hepatitis B vaccination and track immunization status in real time.
- UAE: Through national platforms like Riayati, hepatitis data is being linked across facilities, improving continuity and patient monitoring.
Barriers to Watch
Despite the promise, digital transformation isn’t without hurdles:
- Privacy concerns in disease tracking
- Digital literacy gaps in vulnerable populations
- Data fragmentation across disconnected systems
- Cost barriers in underfunded health sectors
The Road to 2030: No Elimination Without Innovation
As hepatitis continues to fly under the radar in many countries, digital health must be brought to the forefront of elimination strategies. The pandemic showed us what connected, agile health systems can achieve. It’s time to apply the same urgency and innovation to hepatitis.
Eliminating hepatitis by 2030 isn’t just a medical goal but a systemic challenge.
Let’s move forward with urgency. Let’s break down silos, break barriers to access, and break hepatitis once and for all.
Hepatitis can be eliminated. The question is: will we connect the dots in time?
Sources:
- WHO
- World Hepatitis Alliance
- National Viral Hepatitis Control Program, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India
- UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention – Riayati Platform
- Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC) – Viral Hepatitis Strategic Plan