The epidemiology of hepatitis B virus infection in Korea

Abstract

The global burden of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is profound, and represents a public health threat as chronic infection can lead to liver cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and death. The risk factors for chronic hepatitis B-related liver disease differ according to HBV endemicity, hepatitis B e-antigen seropositivity, and viral load. It is important to identify these risk factors and start antiviral treatment at an appropriate time according to current guidelines. The most crucial step in reducing HBV infection is prevention in infancy or early childhood, as infection at an early stage may lead to chronicity. South Korea was formerly an HBV-endemic area, but the epidemiology of HBV infection was changed by the introduction of vaccination in 1983 and nationwide immunization in 1995. The government and the private sector made efforts to reduce the prevalence of HBV infection, and Korea is on target to meet the World Health Organization goal of eliminating viral hepatitis by 2030. To eliminate hepatitis worldwide, the costs of antiviral treatment to prevent perinatal HBV transmission in pregnant women with high viremia should be covered by a national program, and strategies to reduce the prevalence of HBV infection in immigrant populations are needed.

Extremely low risk of hepatocellular carcinoma development in patients with chronic hepatitis B in immune‐tolerant phase

“…However, when considering the sample size of patients in IT phase in the previous study by Kim et al, 12 the attrition at 10 years in our study does not seem exceptionally high. Lastly, because most patients with CHB were infected vertically in South Korea, which might be associated with the significantly high rate of homogeneous HBV genotype (>98% genotype C), 40 our main finding might not be significantly influenced by the transmission mode.…”

The Contribution of Avoidable Mortality to the Life Expectancy Gains in Korea between 1998 and 2017

“…However, consumption of alcohol in Korea has not decreased over the last 20 years [ 2 ]. Rather, declining trends of hepatitis B virus infections from active immunization programs could affect the reduction of mortality from alcohol-related disease and liver cancer [ 35 ]. The Korean government introduced comprehensive anti-smoking measures in 1995 through the enactment of the Health Promotion Act and ratified the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) in 2005 [ 36 ].…”

Prevalence of Hepatitis B Virus Infection and Factors Associated with Hepatitis B Virus Infection Among Pregnant Women Presented to Antenatal Care Clinics at Adigrat General Hospital in Northern Ethiopia

“…Non-compliance with the preventive method results in transmission of the disease from infected to uninfected individuals, especially to the newborn neonates 11 , 13 , which hinders the meeting of the World Health Organization goal to eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030. 3 The problem is notoriously more prevalent in Africa and Western Pacific countries. 6 As an African country, Ethiopia is ranked from medium to high in terms of endemicity of the disease.…”