In a recent publication in Vaccines, researchers conducted a comprehensive review to systematically explore global trends regarding vaccination coverage for HBV infections and to examine the significant impact of vaccination on hepatitis B prevalence and its effects across diverse populations, including high-risk and general demographics. Moreover, the researchers sought to address the challenges, barriers, and factors that may impact the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) goals to expand vaccine coverage and eradicate viral hepatitis by 2030.

The authors wrote, “The HBV vaccination remains the cornerstone of public health policy to prevent chronic hepatitis B and its related complications. It serves as a crucial element in the global effort to eliminate HBV, as established by WHO, with an ambitious 90% vaccination target by 2030.

“Despite being an ambitious task, the global elimination of HBV by 2030 requires considerable work in the coming decade. The review article aims to evaluate the pivotal role of HBV vaccination as a primary tool in realizing the ambitious goal set by the WHO to eliminate HBV by 2030. It focuses on analyzing the impact, effectiveness, and challenges associated with widespread HBV vaccination programs,” the authors noted.

For this review, researchers utilized comprehensive search strategies across multiple databases, such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and Embase. In total, 412 relevant papers were collected, and the gathered studies, articles, and reports focused on HBV vaccination, global elimination efforts, WHO’s 2030 targets, vaccination barriers, and strategies for eradication and included 268 papers that met established criteria.

The researchers indicated that ongoing global initiatives are often faced with various challenges resulting from several factors that impose specific obstacles depending on the characteristics of multiple regions or populations. The authors also indicated that the use of HBV vaccinations is a cost-effective and fundamental intervention that results in a remarkable 95% decrease in chronic HBV infections. As a result of vaccination, the global prevalence of hepatitis B has considerably diminished from over 10% in the 1980s to 2.9% in 2020, saving millions of lives and preventing chronic hepatic disease and cases of hepatocellular cancer.

According to the authors, examples of crucial barriers to obtaining the HBV vaccine included limited availability and access to health facility–based immunization, a deficiency of caregiver awareness, inadequate communication by healthcare workers, high costs in the private sector, and challenges related to the time and place of vaccination.

The scientists indicated that various strategies could improve the global program’s effectiveness, including continued care, augmenting awareness among individuals, addressing myths and misconceptions, reducing healthcare disparities, and eliminating stigma. They also recommended working with local healthcare services to expand access to preventative measures, such as vaccines, and to promote early diagnosis and clinical intervention in patients infected with HBV.  

Lastly, the authors revealed that maintaining advancement necessitates a long-term commitment to sustainability and ongoing interventions, highlighting the need to launch national policies, microelimination strategies, and surveillance to monitor progress and evaluate the program’s impact on incidence, mortality, and services.

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