Europe faces a stubborn public health gap that threatens to derail its goal of eliminating viral hepatitis by the end of the decade, according to new data published by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). While childhood vaccination has successfully pushed hepatitis B prevalence to near-zero levels among children under five across the region, uneven implementation of screening, harm reduction, and community-level prevention means millions remain chronically infected without knowing it.
Uneven Childhood Vaccination Rates Leave Gaps in Community Protection
Routine screening for hepatitis B in pregnancy is well established across all 30 European Union and European Economic Area (EU/EEA) countries, successfully driving vertical transmission from mother to child down to below 2%, according to ECDC data. Sustained declines in acute hepatitis B infections since 2006 highlight the long-term effectiveness of these regional prevention efforts. Among people younger than 25 years, the proportion of acute hepatitis B cases fell from 11% in 2015 to 8% in 2024, reflecting the impact of childhood immunization programmes.
Yet, community-level prevention reveals stark vulnerabilities. Only a minority of countries—nine out of 25 reporting—have reached the World Health Organization target of fully vaccinating 95% of children against hepatitis B. Several nations even reported a decline in coverage in recent years, leaving pockets of the population unprotected against a virus that can cause severe long-term consequences such as liver failure or liver cancer.
According to ECDC data from World Hepatitis Day, an estimated five million people in the EU/EEA are living with chronic hepatitis B or C, and almost 60 000 people die each year from liver disease linked to these infections.
Harm Reduction Shortfalls Among People Who Inject Drugs
Injecting drug use accounts for most cases of hepatitis C with a known transmission route across the region. While harm reduction measures like opioid agonist treatment and the provision of sterile needles and syringes effectively minimize transmission, coverage remains inadequate. Only seven countries meet the WHO target for distributing sterile injection equipment to people who inject drugs.
To address these persistent transmission routes, the ECDC and the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) have outlined key interventions. The agencies developed an online toolkit specifically designed to support viral hepatitis elimination efforts in prisons. Improving healthcare access and screening in these specialized settings would substantially reduce transmission rates and help work toward ending the virus as a public health threat.
Blood Safety Standards and Comprehensive Screening Systems
Beyond targeted community interventions, broader structural safeguards show stronger performance across the continent. Comprehensive screening systems are now firmly in place to prevent the transmission of hepatitis B and C through blood, tissues, or cells. The results of a recent ECDC survey indicate that many countries maintain robust systems capable of meeting the stringent new standards for blood, tissue, and cell safety laid out in EU regulations on substances of human origin.
Bruno Ciancio of the ECDC emphasizes that effective solutions to control viral hepatitis already exist, noting that no one should die from a disease that is preventable, diagnosable, and treatable. The collective challenge for health authorities across Europe remains ensuring those life-saving interventions—from direct-acting antiviral cures for hepatitis C to suppressive treatments for hepatitis B—reach everyone who needs them before the 2030 deadline.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the 2030 goal for viral hepatitis in Europe?
The international objective is to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030, a milestone current ECDC data indicates the European region is set to miss due to uneven implementation of key prevention measures.
How is hepatitis B transmitted from mothers to infants prevented?
Routine screening for hepatitis B during pregnancy is established across all 30 EU/EEA countries, successfully reducing mother-to-child transmission to below 2%.
What is the primary transmission route for hepatitis C in Europe?
Injecting drug use accounts for most cases of hepatitis C with a known transmission route, though harm reduction coverage like sterile needle distribution remains inadequate in many nations.
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