Millions of Indians may be living with hepatitis B without knowing it: A liver transplant surgeon explains why the silent virus is so dangerous

Most people worry about illnesses that arrive with obvious warning signs, a high fever, severe pain or sudden weakness. Hepatitis B rarely behaves that way. It can quietly damage the liver for years, sometimes decades, without causing symptoms. By the time many people learn they have it, the disease may have already progressed to cirrhosis, liver failure or even liver cancer. That silent nature is one reason India continues to carry one of the world's largest hepatitis B burdens. For most families, these numbers feel distant until someone close is diagnosed. By then, the disease may already have caused serious damage.Many people imagine that a serious liver disease would announce itself with obvious warning signs. Unfortunately, hepatitis B rarely does."India has the second highest hepatitis-B burden globally with an estimated 40–50 million chronic carriers.