Ghana Health Service directed all regional hospitals to conduct hepatitis B and C screening nationwide on 28 July 2026 to mark World Hepatitis Day, observed locally under the theme “Know Your Status.” The exercise aimed to promote early detection, improve access to treatment, and raise public awareness of viral hepatitis, and GHS specifically urged that newborns receive the hepatitis B birth-dose vaccine within 24 hours of birth.
Hepatitis B remains a major public health challenge in Ghana, affecting an estimated 8–12 percent of the population (and up to 14 percent of pregnant women), with a further 3–6 percent living with hepatitis C. Globally, around 287 million people were living with chronic hepatitis B or C in 2024, many unaware of their infection, and viral hepatitis caused an estimated 1.3 million deaths worldwide that year, despite both conditions being largely preventable or treatable.