Open AccessThree decades of hepatitis B control with vaccination
Author(s) -
Liliane Meireles,
Rui Tato Marinho,
Pierre Van Damme
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
world journal of hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.913
H-Index - 55
ISSN - 1948-5182
DOI - 10.4254/wjh.v7.i18.2127
Subject(s) - medicine , vaccination , transmission (telecommunications) , hepatitis b virus , hepatitis b , cirrhosis , liver cancer , immunization , immunology , liver transplantation , virology , environmental health , cancer , transplantation , virus , immune system , electrical engineering , engineering
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) continues to represent a major health problem and can lead to acute liver failure, acute hepatitis, chronic carriership, chronic hepatitis of HBV, liver cirrhosis, liver cancer, liver transplantation and death. There is a marked difference in the geographic distribution of carriers. More than 240 million people worldwide are chronic HBV carriers. Mother-to-child transmission remains the most important mechanism of infection in countries with a high prevalence of HBV. Percutaneous/parenteral transmission and unsafe sexual practices are important mode of spread transmission of HBV in other countries. Vaccination against HBV is the gold measure for primary prevention and control of the disease. Currently, 179 countries have added HBV vaccination to their routine vaccination programs with great results. Neonatal immunization with HBV vaccine has been one of the most highly effective measures in public health and the first anti-cancer program to be launched. In this paper we review the achievements for the last three decades.