Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection continues to pose a significant global health challenge despite the availability of effective vaccines for more than 4 decades and antivirals for almost 3 decades. The World Health Organization estimates that more than 254 million people worldwide are living with chronic HBV infection; 1.2 million new infections occurred in 2022. Even though the introduction of hepatitis B vaccines has drastically reduced the incidence of new HBV infections, barriers such as limited access, low vaccine uptake, and suboptimal vaccine efficacy in specific populations such as older persons, individuals with diabetes, obesity, or current smoking, and immunocompromised persons (eg, those living with HIV or chronic kidney disease) account for the continued occurrence of new infections. These challenges necessitate public health efforts to improve access and uptake of hepatitis B vaccination and research to enhance vaccine immunogenicity.
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