CDS / OTA Current Affairs · Health · 28 Jul 2026

World Hepatitis Day & India's NVHCP: A CDS/OTA Health Explainer

By Hitendra Deswal · 28 Jul 2026 · 7 min read

On 28 July 2026, India marked World Hepatitis Day and eight years of the National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme (NVHCP) — with a call for a "Hepatitis-Mukt Bharat" and the elimination of viral hepatitis as a public-health threat by 2030. Over 21 crore people have been screened and 1,153 treatment centres established. For a CDS/OTA aspirant, public health is a reliably examined area, and hepatitis — with its five types, transmission routes and vaccines — is exactly the kind of factual science-and-governance content the exam favours.

The news in one frame

The essentials:

What: World Hepatitis Day (28 July) and eight years of the NVHCP.
Goal: eliminate viral hepatitis as a public-health threat by 2030 ("Hepatitis-Mukt Bharat").
Progress: 21 crore+ screened, 6 lakh+ treated, 1,153 treatment centres; Hepatitis B birth-dose coverage over 92%.
Notable: India is among the few countries offering free treatment for Hepatitis C and management of B.

What is hepatitis?

Start with the basics. Hepatitis means inflammation of the liver — the organ that filters blood, processes nutrients and removes toxins. It is most often caused by viruses, but can also result from alcohol, toxins, drugs or auto-immune conditions. The five main viral types:

Hepatitis A — spreads by the faecal-oral route (contaminated food and water); usually acute and self-limiting; vaccine available.
Hepatitis B — spreads through blood and body fluids (unsafe injections/transfusions, mother-to-child at birth, unsafe sex); can become chronic, causing cirrhosis and liver cancer; vaccine available.
Hepatitis C — spreads mainly through blood (unsafe injections/transfusions); often becomes chronic; no vaccine, but it is now curable with modern antiviral drugs.
Hepatitis D — only infects people already having Hepatitis B (so the B vaccine prevents it too).
Hepatitis E — spreads via contaminated water, like A; especially dangerous in pregnancy.

The memory anchor: A and E = food/water (poor sanitation); B, C and D = blood/body fluids. B and C cause most of the chronic disease and deaths. This public-health knowledge is exactly what the CDS/OTA general-science and current-affairs material covers.

India's National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme

The examinable programme:

The NVHCP was launched in 2018 by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, aiming to eliminate Hepatitis C by 2030 and sharply reduce Hepatitis B infections and deaths — aligned with the WHO/SDG-3 target.
It provides free screening, diagnosis and treatment, including costly antiviral drugs for Hepatitis C.
It works through convergence — with the Reproductive & Child Health programme (screening pregnant women), immunisation (the Hepatitis B birth dose within 24 hours, part of the Universal Immunisation Programme), blood-safety measures and injection safety.
Prevention also relies on safe drinking water and sanitation (for A and E) — linking to Swachh Bharat and Jal Jeevan Mission.

These themes recur in the CDS/OTA daily current affairs.

Prevention — vaccines and hygiene

Round out with the prevention toolkit:

Vaccines: available for Hepatitis A and B (the B vaccine also protects against D); no vaccine for C or E (an E vaccine exists in limited use elsewhere).
Hepatitis B birth dose — given within 24 hours of birth — is the single most effective step to stop mother-to-child transmission.
Safe water, sanitation and food hygiene prevent A and E.
Safe injections, screened blood and sterile equipment prevent B and C.

The revision hook: hepatitis = liver inflammation; types A–E; A & E via contaminated food/water (faecal-oral), B/C/D via blood & body fluids; B & C cause chronic disease → cirrhosis/liver cancer; vaccines for A & B (B also covers D), none for C (but curable); NVHCP (2018, MoHFW) gives free testing/treatment, targeting elimination by 2030; World Hepatitis Day = 28 July.

Why it matters

For the essay/interview and bigger picture:

Silent epidemic: hepatitis B and C often show no symptoms for years, so screening is vital before liver damage sets in.
Health equity: free diagnosis and treatment make care accessible to the poor — a model of public-health delivery.
SDG target: eliminating hepatitis supports SDG 3 (good health and well-being) and reduces the burden of liver cancer.

Exam relevance in one paragraph

For CDS/OTA GK, retain: hepatitis is inflammation of the liver, mainly viral, with five types — A and E spread by the faecal-oral route (contaminated food/water), while B, C and D spread through blood and body fluids; B and C commonly become chronic and cause cirrhosis and liver cancer; vaccines exist for A and B (the B vaccine also prevents D) but not for C, which is now curable with antivirals; India's National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme (NVHCP, launched 2018 under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare) provides free screening and treatment, works through the Hepatitis B birth dose (within 24 hours, under the Universal Immunisation Programme), blood and injection safety, and targets elimination of viral hepatitis as a public-health threat by 2030; World Hepatitis Day is 28 July. For the essay, frame it as free, converged public health toward a Hepatitis-Mukt Bharat.

🎯 Practice MCQs

Q1. Hepatitis is the inflammation of which organ? (a) liver (b) heart (c) kidney (d) lungs → (a) — the liver.

Q2. How many main types of viral hepatitis are there? (a) five (A–E) (b) two (c) ten (d) three → (a) — five (A, B, C, D, E).

Q3. Hepatitis A and E spread mainly through: (a) contaminated food and water (b) blood transfusion (c) air (d) insect bites → (a) — the faecal-oral route.

Q4. Hepatitis B and C spread mainly through: (a) blood and body fluids (b) drinking water (c) mosquitoes (d) coughing → (a) — blood/body fluids.

Q5. Which hepatitis type has NO vaccine but is curable with drugs? (a) Hepatitis C (b) Hepatitis A (c) Hepatitis B (d) Hepatitis D → (a) — Hepatitis C.

Q6. Hepatitis D can only infect a person who already has: (a) Hepatitis B (b) Hepatitis A (c) Hepatitis E (d) malaria → (a) — Hepatitis B (so the B vaccine prevents D).

Q7. World Hepatitis Day is observed on: (a) 28 July (b) 1 December (c) 7 April (d) 24 March → (a) — 28 July.

Q10. The Hepatitis B "birth dose" should be given within: (a) 24 hours of birth (b) one year (c) five years (d) at school age → (a) — 24 hours of birth.

Q11. Which hepatitis type is especially dangerous during pregnancy? (a) Hepatitis E (b) Hepatitis A (c) Hepatitis C (d) Hepatitis D → (a) — Hepatitis E.

Q12. Chronic hepatitis B and C can lead to: (a) cirrhosis and liver cancer (b) diabetes only (c) asthma (d) fracture → (a) — liver cirrhosis and cancer.

Q13. The NVHCP functions under which ministry? (a) Health & Family Welfare (b) Ayush only (c) Home Affairs (d) Education → (a) — the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.

Q14. Preventing Hepatitis A and E depends most on: (a) safe water, sanitation and food hygiene (b) blood screening only (c) mosquito nets (d) masks → (a) — clean water and sanitation.

Q15. Which SDG relates to good health and well-being? (a) SDG 3 (b) SDG 6 (c) SDG 11 (d) SDG 13 → (a) — SDG 3.

Q16. The Hepatitis B vaccine is given under India's: (a) Universal Immunisation Programme (b) MGNREGA (c) PM-KISAN (d) Ujjwala → (a) — the Universal Immunisation Programme.

Q17. Hepatitis B and C are often called a "silent" epidemic because they: (a) show no symptoms for years (b) are always fatal at once (c) cure themselves (d) are airborne → (a) — they can remain symptom-free while damaging the liver.

Q18. The global agency setting hepatitis-elimination targets is the: (a) WHO (b) WTO (c) UNESCO (d) FAO → (a) — the World Health Organization.

📋 How this gets asked (PYQ pattern)

Public health is a reliable CDS/OTA set. The reliable framings are the organ affected (liver), transmission routes (A/E food-water vs B/C/D blood), which types have vaccines (A and B, not C), and the NVHCP (2018) and 2030 target. A common trap says Hepatitis C has a vaccine (it doesn't — but it's curable) or swaps the transmission routes. The fresh 2026 hook is World Hepatitis Day and NVHCP's eight years — ideal for "which type / which route / which programme" items. We reference the pattern, not any exact past question.

Preparing for CDS or OTA? Diseases, vaccination and health programmes are high-yield GK and strong essay material on public health. Follow our daily CDS/OTA current affairs and train with serving-officer faculty in the upcoming Cavalier courses in Delhi.

✍️ Written by Hitendra Deswal — Polity, governance & current-affairs faculty at The Cavalier. Reviewed by the Cavalier Faculty Desk. The Cavalier, founded by ex-Army officers, has trained NDA/CDS/SSB aspirants since 2001 (Facebook · YouTube).

Source: PIB / Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, 28 July 2026. Facts cross-verified with independent sources.

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