The British Liver Trust is calling for urgent action to boost diagnosis, follow-up care and community support for the thousands of people living with hepatitis B, after a major national report published today by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) revealed that England is “far off track” to meet the World Health Organization’s (WHO) 2030 elimination targets. The hepatitis B virus can cause severe liver damage and liver findings.
The findings show that far more must be done to find people living with hepatitis B, support them after diagnosis, and tackle the stigma that still prevents many from seeking care.
UKHSA estimates that 268,767 people are living with chronic hepatitis B in England, yet only 117,079 have been diagnosed, which means that just 43.6% of those affected are aware of their infection and more than half remain undiagnosed. The report warns that, based on current progress, “it will take more than 10 years” to reach the WHO target of diagnosing 90% of people living with the virus.
Hepatitis B is a blood-borne virus that can cause serious liver damage, leading to cirrhosis and liver cancer, if left undetected or untreated. Because it often progresses silently for many years, thousands of people may be living with the infection unknowingly, increasing the risk of advanced liver disease and widening long-standing health inequalities.
The publication of Hepatitis B in England 2025 sets out the latest national data on hepatitis B and assesses how close England is to meeting the WHO targets to eliminate hepatitis B (alongside hepatitis C) as a public health threat by 2030. While England continues to perform strongly on preventing new infections, particularly through high antenatal screening coverage and timely vaccination, the report makes clear that the nation must go much further on diagnosis, treatment and ongoing support. The report states England will fall “far short on targets for diagnosis and treatment”. It also warns that England lacks the data to produce robust estimates required by the WHO.
Vanessa Hebditch, Director of Policy at the British Liver Trust said: “These findings show that we urgently need to do much more to find the tens of thousands of people still living with undiagnosed hepatitis B. We also need to transform the support that people receive after they are diagnosed. That means investing in peer-to-peer programmes, community-based outreach and culturally appropriate services that help people overcome stigma, stay engaged in care and access lifesaving treatment. Without this, England will not meet the WHO targets, and we will continue to see rising cases of liver cancer and cirrhosis linked to hepatitis B.”
In their report, Hepatitis B – Breaking the Silence the British Liver Trust presents straightforward solutions that must be implemented if we are to achieve elimination of hepatitis B by 2030 in the UK.
These solutions include a stronger national focus on hepatitis B through coordinated action and policy change. The charity also wants to see opt-out testing for blood-borne viruses (BBV), including hepatitis B, across all emergency departments in the UK. An analysis of the initiative between April 2022 and March 2024 found that almost 2,000 people were newly diagnosed with hepatitis B through opt-out testing. However, the new UKHSA report shows that only 11% of cases are found through the scheme so we also need to find and treat people through other settings.
The British Liver Trust urges the public, healthcare professionals and policymakers to unite in the fight against hepatitis B by raising awareness, tackling stigma, improving testing and diagnosis rates and expanding access to treatment and care.
Read the full report here: Hepatitis B in England 2025 – GOV.UK