Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh The WHO South-East Asia Region is intensifying action to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030. Globally, an estimated 296 million people live with chronic hepatitis B and around 58 million live with chronic hepatitis C. In 2019 viral hepatitis caused nearly 1.1 million deaths globally, despite the existence of safe and effective vaccines that can prevent hepatitis B and antiviral drugs that can manage chronic hepatitis B and cure most cases of hepatitis C. An estimated 60 million people in the Region live with chronic hepatitis B and around 10.5 million live with chronic hepatitis C. In 2019 around 180 000 people in the Region died of hepatitis B and about 38 000 died of hepatitis C – both completely manageable. In recognition of the theme of this year’s World Hepatitis Day – “Hepatitis can’t wait” – WHO is calling on countries in the Region and across the world to accelerate the hepatitis response and achieve our time-bound targets and goals.