Hepatitis is becoming a forgotten disease in spite of soaring death rates, according to the World Health Organisation.
World Hepatitis Day takes place next Wednesday (28th).
But WHO says the number of deaths has increased by 45% in 23 years and that only 5% of victims know they are infected.
Some 400 million people are infected with hepatitis B and C, according to WHO. There were 1.45 million deaths in 2013.
Its strategy involves treating eight million people by 2020 and reducing new infections by 90%.
WHO says most patients can be cured within three months of diagnosis with direct-acting antiviral medicines. And extensive use of the hepatitis B vaccine would help prevent infection. Some 184 countries vaccinate infants.
WHO director-general Dr Margaret Chan said: "The world has ignored hepatitis at its peril.
“It is time to mobilise a global response to hepatitis on the scale similar to that generated to fight other communicable diseases like HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis."
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