Global progress toward WHO 2030 hepatitis C elimination targets

New research provides measurable global progress data of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) goals to eliminate hepatitis C virus (HCV), revealing persistent gaps in the rates of reduction in HCV incidence and mortality worldwide (1).

Findings were presented at the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) The Liver Meeting 2025 by Zoe Ching, a Data Dashboard Intern at the Coalition for Global Hepatitis Elimination, and analyzed progress toward WHO’s elimination goals, defined as HCV incidence <5 new infections/100,000, and mortality <2/100,000, comparing differences across countries and territories.

Globally, an estimated 50 million people are living with HCV, and approximately 6000 new infections occur each day. Due to the rising prevalence, WHO designated HCV a global health threat in 2015 and set strategic targets to reduce the overall disease burden by 2030. The organization established the Path to Elimination (PTE) framework, defining bronze, silver, and gold tiers as coverage targets for HCV prevention, diagnosis, and treatment (2).

PTE criteria for HCV patients included:

• The percentage of infected individuals diagnosed
• The percentage treated
• The number of needles/syringes distributed per person who injects drugs per year

The study analyzed data from 167 countries and territories using sources such as the WHO Global Health Observatory, Georgetown HIV Policy, UN population data, peer-reviewed literature, and CGHE National Hepatitis Elimination Profiles.

The PTE tiers were defined as follows:

• Bronze: ≥60% diagnosed, ≥50% treated, needle/syringes present
• Silver: ≥70% diagnosed, ≥60% treated, needle/syringes + opioid agonist therapy present
• Gold: ≥80% diagnosed, ≥70% treated, >150 needle/syringes distributed per person who injects drugs per year

Investigators found a total of 25 (15%) and 24 (14%) countries ≤ the 2030 targets for HCV mortality and incidence, respectively. Of the 10 countries (6%) meeting both mortality and incidence targets, 6 were located in the Americas – Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Peru.

Progress toward the PTE tiers varied by each coverage category. In needle/syringe coverage – 66 (39%) countries met bronze, 53 (32%) met silver, and 12 (7%) met gold. For diagnosis coverage – 20 (12%) met bronze, 13 (8%) met silver, and 10 (6%) met gold. For treatment coverage – 29 (17%) met bronze, 19 (11%) met silver, and 10 (6%) met gold.

Investigators’ country-level analysis helped clarify areas for resource allocation and remaining changes. The United States demonstrated 43% HCV treatment coverage and bronze-tier (68%) diagnosis coverage. Egypt and Norway achieved gold status for treatment coverage, while Australia, Georgia, and Spain met silver. Overall, no countries in the Southeast Asia Region reached bronze-tier thresholds.

“Although achievement of PTE tiers requires validation by WHO, provisional data reveal the countries on the PTE for the 2030 targets and WHO 2030 Elimination Goals. Challenges remain for most countries,” wrote Choi and colleagues. “The US and other countries need to commit the resources for expanding NS services, access to HCV treatment, and policies to scale-up HCV screening to accelerate progress toward HCV elimination.”

By Alex Hillenbrand

References

1. Zoe C, Lindsey H, John W, et al. Global Progress Toward Hepatitis C Elimination: Monitoring Achievements of WHO Goals and Targets for Hepatitis C Prevention and Care. Abstract presented at: American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) The Liver Meeting 2025; November 7-11, Washington, DC.
2. World Health Organization. Hepatitis C. World Health Organization. Published April 9, 2024. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hepatitis-c‌

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