Hepatitis B virus elimination status and strategies in circumpolar countries, 2020.

• Published in: International Journal of Circumpolar Health
• Main Authors: Haering, Celia, McMahon, Brian, Harris, Aaron, Weis, Nina, Lundberg Ederth, Josefine, Axelsson, Maria, Olafsson, Sigurdur, Osiowy, Carla, Tomas, Kristina, Bollerup, Signe, Liitsola, Kirsi, Archibald, Chris, Blystad, Hans, Bruce, Michael, Nolen, Leisha
• Other Authors: 1 University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, California, USA. 2Arctic Investigations Program, Division of Preparedness and Emerging Infections, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Anchorage, Alaska, USA. 3Liver Diseases and Hepatitis Program, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Anchorage, Alaska, USA. 4Division of Viral Hepatitis, Centers for Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Tuberculosis Prevention, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, and Viral Hepatitis, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia, USA. 5Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Copenhagen, Denmark. 6Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. 7Department of Public Health Analysis and Data Management, Unit for Epidemiological Monitoring, Public Health Agency of Sweden, Stockholm, Sweden. 8Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Landspitali University Hospital, Reykjavik, Iceland. 9School of Health Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland. 10Viral Hepatitis and Bloodborne Pathogens National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. 11Sti and Hepatitis Section
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis 2022
• Subjects: Circumpolar Viral Hepatitis Working Group; Hepatitis B infection; elimination; policy survey; public health policy; vaccination recommendation; Lifrarbólga B; Bólusetningar; Norðlægar slóðir; Hepatitis B; Vaccination; Arctic Regions; Arctic; Greenland; Circumpolar Health; International Journal of Circumpolar Health
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2336/621993; https://doi.org/10.1080/22423982.2021.1986975

To access publisher's full text version of this article, please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field or click on the hyperlink at the top of the page marked Download Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a global health threat. The World Health Organization (WHO) established a goal to eliminate HBV infection as a public health threat by 2030, and defined targets for key interventions to achieve that goal. We evaluated HBV burden and relevant national recommendations for progress towards WHO targets in circumpolar countries. Viral hepatitis experts of circumpolar countries were surveyed regarding their country's burden of HBV, achievement of WHO targets and national public health authority recommendations for HBV prevention and control. Eight of nine circumpolar countries responded. All countries continue to see new HBV infections. Data about HBV prevalence and progress in reaching WHO 2030 elimination targets are lacking. No country was able to report data for all seven WHO target measures. All countries have recommendations targeting the prevention of mother-to-child transmission. Only the USA and Greenland recommend universal birth dose vaccination. Four countries have recommendations to screen persons at high risk for HBV. Existing recommendations largely address prevention; however, recommendations for universal birth dose vaccination have not been widely introduced. Opportunities remain for the development of trackable targets and national elimination planning to screen and treat for HBV to reduce incidence and mortality. Keywords: Circumpolar Viral Hepatitis Working Group; Hepatitis B infection; elimination; policy survey; public health policy; vaccination recommendation.