Hepatitis B virus (Hepadnavirid family). HBV causes sexually transmitted or blood-borne hepatitis. Cirrhosis occurs in 20% of cases 15 to 20 years after the onset of infection. Image made from transmission electron microscopy. Approximate viral diameter: 22 nm. Image Credit: BSIP/Getty Images
HealthSociety EuropeHepatitis Bye: More Vaccinations, More Safety
Four more European countries have met hepatitis B control targets set by the World Health Organization (WHO), bringing the region closer to eliminating viral hepatitis as a public health threat.
Earlier this year, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan were officially recognized as reaching the targets set for hepatitis B control under the WHO’s Action Plan for the Health Sector Response to Viral Hepatitis. Thanks to better immunization programs, hepatitis B and its long-term consequences, such as liver cancer, have been reduced, bringing the entire European region closer to achieving its goal of eliminating viral hepatitis by 2030.
These four latest countries join Georgia, Italy, the Netherlands, the Republic of Moldova, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, who were themselves validated for reaching the set targets in either 2021 or 2022. The countries were all found to have met sufficient vaccination coverage and to have additional measures in place to prevent mother-to-child transmission.
