Hepatitis B
Version: November 2025
Introduction
Hepatitis B is a viral infection that affects the liver, caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). It is a major global health concern as it can lead to chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. HBV is transmitted through contact with infectious body fluids, such as blood, semen, and other body fluids. This can occur through sexual contact, sharing needles, or from mother to child during childbirth. Symptoms may include fatigue, jaundice, abdominal pain, and loss of appetite. While effective vaccines are available, prevention and control remain vital due to HBV’s persistent nature in carriers.
Highlights
- Generally, there is a noticeable increase in reported cases from 2015 to 2025, indicating a rising trend in Hepatitis B incidence over time.
- The peak of cases was observed between 2023 and 2024, with numbers soaring to over 150,000 cases per month, particularly evident in March 2024.
- Death rates remained relatively stable with slight fluctuations, ranging from 18 to 80 deaths per month, suggesting relatively consistent case mortality rate.
- A decrease in cases was observed in 2025 compared to previous years, though it remains high, highlighting persistent challenges in controlling the disease spread effectively.
Analysis
Cases Analysis
The hepatitis B data from mainland China between 2015 and 2025 shows fluctuating patterns in the number of cases and deaths. During the initial part of this period, cases were generally below 110,000 per month but began to peak in 2018, with March of that year reaching a high of 120,659. It appears there was a general increasing trend in cases, as they reached their highest number in subsequent years, notably in March 2023 with 126,932 cases, and then again in March 2024 with 152,967 cases. However, these increases are not uniform, displaying periodic declines, such as in December 2022, which saw a substantial decrease in cases to 59,498, followed by a sudden rebound in subsequent months.
On the other hand, deaths seem to remain relatively low and stable throughout the period, usually ranging between 20 to 55 per month, with sporadic peaks such as in January 2020. This period recorded a significant jump in fatalities to 80, likely indicating an impactful event or change in epidemic management or reporting. Consequently, while cases increased over the years, the mortality rate did not escalate proportionally, potentially suggesting improved clinical management of hepatitis B or effective public health interventions minimizing disease severity. The dichotomy between the increasing case numbers and comparatively stable mortality rates hints at intricate epidemiological dynamics and health system responses worth further investigation.
Deaths Analysis
Analysis of the reported data for Hepatitis B in mainland China from November 2015 to November 2025 indicates a steady fluctuation in the number of monthly hepatitis B related cases and deaths. The number of cases generally increased over the years, with occasional spikes, such as in March 2020, where cases reached 88150, peaking at 152967 by March 2024. Despite fluctuations, the deaths did not show a proportional rise, suggesting possible improvements in medical management or public health interventions. In January 2020, a significant spike in deaths (80) occurred compared to other times, possibly related to heightened healthcare system strain during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Deeper into the temporal variations, hepatitis B-related deaths were fairly consistent over the years, maintaining an average monthly range of 30-50 deaths. The variation in deaths from month to month, especially more significant fluctuations in certain years like 2020 and during the later period in 2025 may correlate with external factors such as public health measures, differences in healthcare accessibility, or perhaps seasonal effects. Notably, the same period correlated with a particularly high rate of reported cases, yet the death count did not escalate to a similar degree, inferring improved disease management outcomes, potentially through more widespread vaccination programmess, antiviral therapies, or public health campaigns.