Viral hepatitis is killing many more people in Europe than HIV, researchers have warned.
The B and C forms of the virus together kill ten times more people than die from HIV, the International Liver Congress in London, UK, has been told.
In 2010 the two liver viruses were responsible for 90,000 deaths in the European Union, the conference heard.
Experts said the figures suggest that hepatitis should join the top global priorities for health.
The figures come from the Global Burden of Disease Study funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The European figures contrast with the global figures which show HIV/AIDs killing 1.47 million people a year and viral hepatitis responsible for some 1.29 million deaths in 2010.
The vice-secretary of the European Association for the Study of the Liver, Dr Laurent Castera, of Hôpital Beaujon, Paris, France, said: "Although HIV/AIDS undeniably remains a key global health priority, the higher mortality from viral hepatitis than from HIV/AIDS in the EU means that hepatitis B and C must clearly now be counted among the top global and local priorities for health."
"Additional resources are needed to prevent, detect and treat hepatitis B and C in order to address these imbalances in major preventable causes of human death."
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