Every year, millions of Indians are diagnosed with hepatitis B and C—viruses that can lie silent for decades but can also cause devastating liver damage if left untreated. Yet, it is not just the disease that burdens patients. It is the stigma, the moment a diagnosis is disclosed.
This World Hepatitis Day, as the world focuses on prevention and treatment, there’s another aspect that experts want to drive attention towards: the one around shame and silence that surrounds this infection.
When 29-year-old Deepika Yadav (name changed) tested positive for hepatitis B during a routine health checkup, she dreaded the reactions she would get from her friends and family. A footballer, who wanted to make it big in sports, suddenly found herself sidelined. "I was depressed and disheartened. I was told only those with no known diseases were allowed to play further. My dreams were shattered and I was no longer the happy, lucky player I used to be.” Eventually, she quit. " People tend to look at you differently. Even though I had been a virgin, never had sexual relationships and never even had any form of illnesses, this happened to me. All I used to regularly do, was donate blood. I think that's when something went wrong. But everyone blamed me for it," says Yadav.
How is it transmitted?
Hepatitis B and C are bloodborne viruses, commonly transmitted via unsterile medical equipment, infected blood, or from mother to child. Yet, popular misconceptions link them to promiscuity or drug use.
In India, with its cultural discomfort around discussions of sexual health and drug addiction, this stigma can be crushing—particularly for women. "Many patients don’t tell their families they’re positive,” says Dr Ramesh Agarwal, a hepatologist at a leading Mumbai hospital. “I have seen mothers hiding medication from their in-laws, fearing rejection.”
A 2022 study published in the Indian Journal of Medical Ethics noted that over 40% of hepatitis B and C patients delayed or avoided treatment due to fear of social consequences. Several reported depression, anxiety, and social withdrawal.
Nowhere is the stigma more visible than in the marriage market. For those living with the virus, it’s a door slammed shut. 38-year-old Ravi, an IT professional in Bengaluru, says he "finally stopped trying for a match" after going through the pain of repeated rejections. “One family said I was trying to trap their daughter. I finally stopped trying.”
India’s labour laws do not explicitly prohibit discrimination against people with hepatitis. Yet stories of job loss abound, especially in the healthcare sector and specifically in public health settings.
Dr Daksha Vora, public health officer with the BMC, says, “There’s no policy-level clarity on what to do when a healthcare worker tests positive but remains fully functional. It’s often left to the discretion of administrators.”
Perhaps most heartbreaking is the stigma patients face within their own homes. Women, in particular, are accused of bringing shame to the family. Children with hepatitis are barred from birthday parties or group play.
India launched the National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme (NVHCP) in 2018 to eliminate hepatitis C and control hepatitis B by 2030. Free testing and treatment are now available at designated government hospitals.
However, little has been done to tackle the stigma, say activists. Public awareness campaigns remain sparse. There’s no legal mandate to protect hepatitis-positive individuals from discrimination, unlike with HIV. "What we, as a society, urgently need is an inclusive policy towards HEPATITIS B survivors," says Dr Ramesh Shah, a practicing physician in Mumbai. “Every time I diagnose a patient, I spend as much time in counseling as I do in explaining the treatment,” he adds.
Public health experts believe that education is key. “We need community-level interventions. People must understand that hepatitis isn’t a character flaw,” says Dr Ameet Mandot, hepatologist at Mumbai's Gleneagles Hospital.
