Mumbai recorded 55 cases of hepatitis in the month of July until today and total 308 cases in a period of seven months, January 1 to July 24, 2022, according to the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) latest health notification. Given that in 2021, the city had registered 308 cases in a period of 12 months until December, it is not incorrect to say that there would be a surge in the total number of hepatitis cases until December 2022.

Hepatitis is an infectious disease primarily affecting the liver causing an inflammation of the organ, that can lead to liver failure or liver cancer if not treated at its early stages. Among the five types of Hepatitis viruses: A, B, C, D and E, according to the World Health Organisation, Hepatitis B, C and D are found to be chronic and are responsible for over 95 per cent of hepatitis deaths globally. According to WHO’s 2016 data, every year 1, 15,000 Indians die of hepatitis B related complications.