Four people with hepatitis B and C die every day in Bulgaria because of untimely diagnosis and treatment, "St. Yoan Rilski" Hospital reported on World Hepatitis Day.

Just 10% of the approximately 87,000 infected people with hepatitis C and nearly 226,000 with hepatitis B have been diagnosed. Just 1% of those infected are being treated. A major problem is the impossibility for those diagnosed with hepatitis C to receive immediate treatment, as the health insurance fund requires six months of follow-up for those infected without severe liver damage, the hospital points out. Both types of viruses are asymptomatic and are among the leading causes of liver cancer.