Author information
1 Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Endoscopy Unit, Alameda Health System, Highland Hospital, Highland Hospital Campus, Highland Care Pavilion 5th Floor, 1411 East 31st Street, Oakland, CA 94602, USA.
2 Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Endoscopy Unit, Alameda Health System, Highland Hospital, Highland Hospital Campus, Highland Care Pavilion 5th Floor, 1411 East 31st Street, Oakland, CA 94602, USA. Electronic address: Rowong@alamedahealthsystem.org.
3 Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Stanford Health Care, 300 Pasteur Drive, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA.
Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a global health burden. The chronicity of this infection leads to complication such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, making it a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Chronic infection commonly develops among those who acquire infection during childhood, hence the importance of effective implementation of HBV vaccination policies designed to eradicate chronic HBV. This article provides updated estimates of worldwide HBV disease prevalence and discusses how implementation of vaccination policies has affected HBV epidemiology.