‘1 in 12 Malawians could have hepatitis without knowing’

Malawi’s Ministry of Health has issued an urgent call for citizens to get tested for hepatitis, warning that early diagnosis is the key to preventing severe liver disease and saving lives.

Minister of Health Madalitso Baloyi delivered the stark message during a press briefing in Lilongwe on Tuesday, held to mark World Hepatitis Day, commemorated this year under the theme “Hepatitis: Let’s Break It Down.”

Baloyi didn’t hold back in outlining the scale of the challenge, warning that limited awareness, damaging stigma, low uptake of testing and unequal access to diagnostic and treatment services continue to delay diagnosis and care for people living with the disease across the country.

But it was World Health Organization Country Representative to Malawi, Charles Njuguna, who delivered the most alarming statistic of the day — revealing that a staggering one in every 12 Malawians could be unknowingly living with hepatitis, simply because so few people come forward for testing.

The chilling figure underscores the scale of the silent health crisis potentially affecting communities across the nation, with countless Malawians unaware they may be carrying a disease capable of causing devastating, irreversible liver damage if left untreated.

Njuguna used the occasion to reaffirm the WHO’s commitment to supporting Malawi in its fight against hepatitis, pledging continued backing as the country works towards the global target of combating the disease by 2030.

Health officials are now expected to ramp up awareness campaigns in the coming months, in a bid to tackle the stigma and low testing rates blamed for allowing the disease to spread largely undetected within communities.

For many Malawians, hepatitis remains a silent threat — often showing few, if any, symptoms in its early stages, meaning countless cases could be going undiagnosed until the disease has already caused significant, and sometimes irreversible, damage to the liver.