Abstract
Hepatitis B virus infection described as the second carcinogen factor after smoking by the World Health Organization (WHO) is a global public health problem (1). It was reported that 15-40% of HBV infected patients would develop cirrhosis, liver failure, or hepatocellular carcinoma and 500 000 to 1.2 million people die of HBV infection annually (2). Because of the high HBV-related morbidity and mortality, the global disease burden of HB is substantial. Hepatitis B viral infection is a preventable disease. Three main strategies have been approved to be effective in preventing HBV infection. They are behavior modification, passive immunoprophylaxis, and active immunization. The implementation of mass HBV immunization program is recommended by the WHO since 1991 (3).
License
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Article Type: Brief Report
EUR J GEN MED, Volume 3, Issue 4, October 2006, 197-200
https://doi.org/10.29333/ejgm/82411
Publication date: 15 Oct 2006
Article Views: 4663
Article Downloads: 1893
Open Access References How to cite this article