World Hepatitis Day is the global campaign organized annually on July 28 by the World Health Organization (WHO) to increase awareness about viral hepatitis that remains to be the silent epidemic killing millions of people. In the year 2025, the theme is as bold as breaking down the wall to eradicate hepatitis and prevent cancer in the liver: “Hepatitis: Let Us Break It Down”.
The importance of early detection and the urgency of accessible care were voiced by Dr. Sanket Mehta, Founder and Director, SSO Cancer Hospital, and a renownedGI and Hepatobiliary Surgeon, speaking on the occasion. Dr. Mehta has been the pioneering surgeon of Cytoreductive surgeries, HIPEC and Parencyma sparing liver surgery made a significant contribution to the treatment of patients with liver diseases and has been the leader in complex hepatobiliary surgery.
Gold Rate
02 Aug 2025
According to Dr. Mehta, Hepatitis B and C remain among the leading causes of liver failure and cancer even though they can be prevented and treated. Stigma, ignorance and costs of accessibility are to date among the biggest impediments, particularly in the low- and medium-income groups. The world needs to break these barriers, level by level, which is what the theme of this year demands.
Coming to Grips with the Burden: Hepatitis in Numbers
WHO states that 1.34 million individuals died in 2015 all over the world because of viral hepatitis, surpassing the number of deaths caused by tuberculosis and HIV. Hepatitis B and C alone kill 96 percent of these people. Although the medical industry has developed, tests and treatment are inaccessible among individuals. This illness is usually diagnosed late when it had already suffered irreparable liver damage.
Hepatitis viruses are essentially five in number viz. A, B, C, D and E with varying ways of transmission and effects. Whereas hepatitis A and E are usually connected with contaminated food and water supplies, hepatitis B and C are transferred by blood and may be chronic infections. Without therapy, chronic hepatitis advances to liver cirrhosis and eventually liver cancer.
Hepatitis is non-discriminatory, but accessibility to healthcare so many times is, Dr. Mehta explained. We have to get regular testing normalized, decrease cost of treatment, and eliminate misconceptions that prevent people to get the treatment.
Dr. Mehta believes that community based awareness programs, regular hepatitis screening among high-risk populations, and more investments in hepatitis preventive vaccines, and antiviral treatments, are needed. He also urges healthcare providers to undertake empathetic patient education particularly on chronic hepatitis B and C where the latter may require years to manage.
Hope and Progress
India has been moving towards improving rates of Hepatitis B immunization and awareness with national programs, although testing and care connection remain below par. The problem of hepatitis B and hepatitis C is pressing and requires immediate and expandable action as the number of chronically infected with Hepatitis B exceeds 40 million, and Hepatitis C is estimated at 612 million.
World Hepatitis Day is a reminder and a fresh challenge to governments, health systems, NGOs, and individuals. Hepatitis must be a priority today in order to eradicate it by 2030. The theme is not only a slogan but a strategy: we need to break down the stigma, the cost barriers, the policy inertia and the fear.
Who is Dr. Sanket Mehta?
Dr. Sanket Mehta is an expert Surgical Oncologist who specializes in Gastrointestinal (GI), Gynecologic oncology, Cytoreductive surgery, and advanced cancer treatments like HIPEC (Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy) and PIPAC (Pressurized Intraperitoneal Aerosol Chemotherapy) and complex hepatobiliary cancer surgery. Renowned for his pioneering work, he was the first surgeon in India to perform Cytoreductive Surgery and HIPEC using a dedicated HIPEC machine. His groundbreaking contributions have set a benchmark in cancer care, and today, he has performed the largest series of Cytoreductive surgeries in the country. Dr Mehta is president of the Society of Peritoneal Surface Oncology and has pioneered the treatment of multiple liver metastases using Intraoperative ultrasound (IOUS) guided parenchyma sparing surgery.
Dr. Sanket Mehta is the visionary founder of SSO Cancer Hospitals and Clinics, a state-of-the-art facility that provides specialized, organ-specific cancer care at an affordable cost. SSO Cancer Hospitals and Clinics have expanded to multiple locations in a remarkably short period, ensuring that every patient receives personalized, high-quality care. Dr. Mehta also serves as the Chief of the Division of Peritoneal Surface Oncology at Saifee Hospital, renowned as India’s first, longest-running, and busiest department of its kind. He is also the founder of Cancer Charity Trust through which he has ensured that hundreds of patients get the best treatment.
