The Problem
Viral hepatitis B and C remain among the world’s most deadly — and most preventable — diseases.
An estimated 287 million people were living with chronic hepatitis B or C infection in 2024, and the two diseases together claimed 1.34 million lives that year. That is roughly 3,500 people dying every day from infections that are largely preventable and, in the case of hepatitis C, curable.
An estimated 47 million people are currently living with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection — a curable disease that, left untreated, can progress to cirrhosis, liver failure, and liver cancer. Yet despite the availability of a highly effective, 8-12-week cure, only 20% of people with hepatitis C have received treatment since 2015, when that treatment became available.
The gap in hepatitis B is even more stark. Fewer than 5% of the 240 million people living with chronic HBV infection were receiving treatment in 2024.
The world set an ambitious goal: eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030. Current rates of progress are insufficient to meet the 2030 targets, underscoring the urgent need to accelerate action.
The barriers are not scientific — the tools exist. The barriers are systemic: fragmented data, underfunded programs, populations disconnected from care, and policymakers lacking the evidence they need to act. Closing these gaps requires better data, better models, and better-targeted action.
That is what Polaris is built to provide.
Who We Are
The Polaris Observatory, an initiative of the non-profit CDA Foundation, provides epidemiological data, modeling tools, training and decision analytics to support the elimination of hepatitis B and C globally by 2030. The observatory offers the most up-to-date estimates for the hepatitis C virus (HCV), hepatitis B virus (HBV) disease burden and economic impact, and offers strategies for elimination of each virus, along with financing options. An independent advisory board with representatives from global health organizations, academia, civil societies and donors oversees the activities of the observatory.
What We Do
The Polaris Observatory’s teams of epidemiologists work directly with stakeholders in over 100 countries/territories to assess the current – and future – disease burden of hepatitis, model economic impact, and develop strategies that can achieve country/territory-defined targets to eliminate it. By developing partnerships at country/territory and regional levels, the observatory collects and analyzes data for its platform and publishes key findings to enable policies around hepatitis elimination. We have over 65 peer-reviewed journal articles on hepatitis epidemiology and economic impact—in publications such as The Lancet, the Journal of Viral Hepatitis, and the Journal of Medical Economics.
The observatory offers the following tools and services to all countries/territories interested in collaborating:
- HCV disease burden modeling
- HCV economic impact modeling
- HBV vertical transmission (vaccination/treatment), horizontal transmission and disease burden modeling
- HBV economic impact modeling
- Financing hepatitis screening and elimination programs
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