About four million Ghanaians are living with hepatitis B and C, with more than 17,000 deaths recorded annually from complications linked to the viral infections. Dr John Gerald A Adiiboka, Programme Manager of the National Hepatitis Control Programme, disclosed the figures at the launch of World Hepatitis Day in Accra, where a technical working group towards hepatitis elimination was inaugurated. Dr Adiiboka said about 3,100 people were estimated to develop hepatitis B and C co-infection annually, while hepatitis C alone recorded nearly 10,000 new infections each year. He said regional data showed that the highest burden of hepatitis B was in the Savannah Region, followed by the Northern, Upper West and Upper East regions. He explained that viral hepatitis remained a “silent disease” because many infected persons showed no symptoms until advanced liver damage occurred.