Russia has recorded a 16-year high in the number of hepatitis C cases
The aggressor country has seen a sharp rise in the incidence of chronic hepatitis C, with rates reaching their highest level in the past decade and a half.
In 2025, medical professionals recorded 58,200 new cases, which is 14% more than the previous year.
According to data from monitoring projects, the prevalence of the disease stands at 40 cases per 100,000 people.
A similar epidemiological situation was last recorded in Russia in 2010–2011, after which a prolonged decline was observed.
Statistics show a sharp negative trend in recent years.
While the rate was 23.23 cases per 100,000 people in 2022, it rose to 34.86 by 2024 and showed another spike by the end of 2025.
Experts from the “Zdravresurs” project note that the actual situation may be significantly worse.
By conservative estimates, the total number of infected people in Russia is about 1.8 million, but more than half of the cases remain undetected.
The Russian Ministry of Health attempts to explain this increase by citing the expansion of screening and preventive care programs.
In particular, starting in September 2024, citizens aged 25 and older must undergo hepatitis C testing once every ten years.
Vladimir Chulanov, a freelance expert at the Russian Ministry of Health, stated that “the rise in the number of detected cases in recent years is primarily due to expanded screening.”
Against the backdrop of the spread of the infection, treatment costs have also reached record highs.
As a reminder, panic is spreading in Russia over problems on the front lines, and the Kremlin is stepping up repression.
Russians are also striking over unpaid wages, which they last received back in 2025.
