title: The worldwide impact of vaccination on the control and protection of viral hepatitis B.
abstract: Viral hepatitis B is a leading cause of acute and chronic liver disease worldwide, including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Vaccination is the most effective measure for controlling and preventing hepatitis B and its severe long-term sequelae. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), by the end of 2008 177 countries had introduced hepatitis B vaccination into their national routine neonatal, infant and/or adolescent immunisation programmes, and Italy was one of the first countries to implement a universal strategy of hepatitis B vaccination. The implementation of such vaccination programmes has globally resulted in a marked decrease in disease burden, in the carrier rate and in hepatitis B-related morbidity and mortality. Despite this success, work remains to be done to fully achieve the WHO goal of control of hepatitis B and HBV-related diseases on a global scale.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Sanità Pubblica - Microbiologia - Virologia, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Luisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Romano'
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Paladini
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Van Damme
authors.forename: Alessandro R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Zanetti
mesh_terms: D014943:Global Health; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D017589:Immunization Programs / Q000379:methods*; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D032541:Mass Vaccination
chemical_list: D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines