Hepatitis B immunization strategies and its associated factors: A narrative review
Emmanuel Ifeanyi Obeagu- General Medicine
Abstract
Background
Hepatitis B is a major public health concern as one third of the world's population is infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV). The risk of HBV infection remains primarily through percutaneous or mucosal contact with infected blood or body fluids.
Aim
To update the society on hepatitis B immunization strategies and its associated factors.
Materials and Methods
The review paper utilized different search engines such as Pubmed Central, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and so on to conduct this review paper.
Results
Improving immunity through general vaccination recommendations has reduced the number of chronic hepatitis B cases among children and adolescents, but an influx of infections from endemic countries has increased the number of chronically infected adults. This is due to immigration from endemic countries to Hepatitis less burden areas like developed countries. Introduction of infant immunization programs in some countries has reportedly reduced the prevalence of HBV infection and reduced the incidence of liver cancer in children and young adults.
Conclusion
While hepatitis B vaccination coverage is low, a significant number of people are not adhering to full hepatitis B vaccination posing a potential hazard to health.