• Viral hepatitis has been recognized as a public health problem in India.
• HAV and HEV are major causes of acute viral hepatitis and acute liver failure (ALF).
• While the exact burden of the disease in India is not clearly known, available data indicate that HAV accounts for 10-30% of acute hepatitis and 5-15% cases of acute liver failure.
• HEV accounts for 10-40% of acute hepatitis and 15-45% of acute liver failure cases.
• India belongs to the intermediate endemicity zone (average of 4%) for hepatitis B.
• Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positivity varies between 1.1% and 12.2%, with an average prevalence of 3-4%.
• Anti-Hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody prevalence is estimated to range from 0.09-15% in the general population.
• India is home to 10-15% of the world’s pool of HBV carriers, with nearly 40 million HBV carriers in the country.
• Chronic HBV infection is responsible for 40-50% cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and 20-30% cases of cirrhosis.
• Chronic HCV infection accounts for 12-32% of HCC and 12-20% of cirrhosis.

Source: National Action Plan Combating Viral Hepatitis in India 2019. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Government of India.