Progress in Prevention, Challenges in Treatment, and the Pursuit of Elimination

China has made substantial strides in curbing mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B. However, medical experts emphasize the need for continued efforts to address the millions of existing cases and provide comprehensive treatment to reduce related fatalities.

Wang Yu, chairman of the Chinese Foundation for Hepatitis Prevention and Control, noted a significant decrease in the hepatitis B surface antigen positivity rate among children under five, reaching approximately 0.3 percent in 2020. This is a considerable improvement compared to the roughly 10 percent infection rate observed in the general population in the early 1990s. The reduction is largely attributed to widespread immunization programs.

In the past, many infants contracted the virus through maternal blood during childbirth. Mass immunization against hepatitis B at birth over the past three decades has effectively reduced transmission and lowered the positive rate among newborns and toddlers.

Despite progress in preventing transmission at birth, an estimated 75 million people in China are currently living with chronic hepatitis B. These individuals face an increased risk of developing chronic hepatitis, liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer, posing a significant health burden. Expanding testing and screening to identify those unaware of their infection status and providing targeted treatment is crucial.

The World Health Organization aims to eliminate viral hepatitis as a major public health threat by 2030. This involves reducing new hepatitis infections by 90 percent and related deaths by 65 percent from 2016 to 2030.

Hepatitis B is the most prevalent form of viral hepatitis, with a significant portion of cases occurring in the Asia-Pacific region, and half of those in China. Managing chronic hepatitis B requires cross-sector and multidisciplinary cooperation, including early monitoring and intervention at the community level, treatment for various stages of liver cirrhosis, and surgery for liver cancer.

The majority of patients are older than 30, and a growing number are developing liver cancer, necessitating coordinated treatment among specialists in fields such as oncology and organ transplantation. The conference also reached a consensus on the concept of a "functional cure" for hepatitis B, which involves suppressing the viral load to undetectable levels in the blood with no signs of active infection.