Hepatitis B and С among MSM in EECA region

28 July 2019 is World Hepatitis Day.

325 million people worldwide are infected with viral hepatitis B or C, and 1.4 million people die from it every year. Hepatitis has the second highest mortality rate after tuberculosis, and the number of people infected with hepatitis is 9 times higher than the number of people infected with HIV.

Hepatitis is preventable and treatable, and hepatitis C is completely curable. However, over 80% of people with hepatitis do not have access to prevention, testing, and treatment.

ECOM prepared a brief infographic reflecting the prevalence of hepatitis B and C among gay men and other men who have sex with men.

The percentage of MSM living with hepatitis C in the countries of EECA ranges from 1.6% to 6.5%. The risk of hepatitis B infection among MSM is 22 times higher than among the general population.

There is no information about the prevalence of hepatitis among trans people.