The number of people dying from hepatitis is rising, and most of the 325 million infected are unaware they have the virus and lack access to potentially life-saving medicines, the World Health Organization said on Friday. In its first global report on the infection, the WHO said that with millions at risk of a slow progression to chronic liver disease, cancer and premature death, swift action on testing and treatment was needed. "Viral hepatitis is now a major public health challenge that requires an urgent response, Reuters quoted the WHO's director general Margaret Chan as saying in a statement. The 325 million cases reported are of hepatitis B (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) - the main types of the five different hepatitis infections and responsible for 96 percent of deaths from the disease.
