In this Sept 28, 2018 file photo, a woman walks past a block of the of the Choi Wan public housing estate in Hong Kong, where there were signs of rat infestation outside the home of a 56-year old man who contracted a strain of hepatitis that is carried by rats. (ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP)

HONG KONG - The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government Thursday released an action plan to eliminate the major public health threat of viral hepatitis by 2030, a target set by the World Health Organization.

Health Secretary Sophia Chan Siu-chee said the action plan is Hong Kong's first blueprint to deal with viral hepatitis, showing that the HKSAR government attaches great importance to the prevention and control of the disease.

According to Chan, about 540,000 people are infected with hepatitis B in Hong Kong, and around 22,000 people have hepatitis C. Both illnesses can lead to chronic liver diseases, which can cause cirrhosis or even liver cancer. 

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