Thousands of people in Cyprus may be living with hepatitis without being aware of it, the Cyprus liver patients and friends association Prometheus warned on Monday, World Hepatitis Day.

Early diagnosis can save lives and help prevent severe complications, including cirrhosis and liver cancer, the group added.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 1.3 million people died from chronic hepatitis B and C in 2022. Prometheus urged people in Cyprus to get tested and take action to protect themselves.

Prometheus highlighted that hepatitis B vaccination, included in Cyprus’ national vaccination programme, is the only effective way to prevent the disease and its complications. Yet global figures show only 45 per cent of newborns received the hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth in 2022.

WHO estimates that 304 million people worldwide were living with chronic hepatitis B or C that same year. Many, Prometheus warned, are unaware they are infected and remain at risk of serious health issues or death.

This year’s campaign slogan, Hepatitis: Let’s Break it Down, calls for urgent efforts to remove social and economic barriers. These include stigma, lack of awareness, and unequal access to healthcare, which continue to block progress in eliminating the disease.

Prometheus said modern antiviral treatments can now control hepatitis B and cure hepatitis C.

It called the new medication regimens a “revolution” in treatment, leading to full virus clearance in many patients.