Hepatitis B prevention and control:Lessons from the East and the West

Despite being ten times more common than HIV infection,viral hepatitis has so far not commanded the same public health response worldwide,so a global viral hepatitis treatment program is still a long way from becoming a reality.However,much progress has occurred over the last few decades,with the screening of blood products,sound infection control practices and the introduction of disposable needles and syringes leading to signif icant reductions in nosocomial hepatitis B transmission in the developed world and increasingly in other countries.The introduction of hepatitis B vaccination in the 1980s and its integration into the Expanded Immunization Program have led to substantial reductions in chronic hepatitis B infection rates in children and to millions of lives saved.The availability of effective antiviral treatment has revolutionized treatment prospects,although access to treatment remains a significant challenge for most developed countries and re mains out of reach for developing nations.Some of these breakthroughs have occurred in Asian countries,others in the West,but their unifying features are innov ative research,timely clinical translation and a com mitment to apply their findings to improve the healt h of populations,not just individuals.This paper reviews some of the challenges and opportunities for hepat itis B control at the end of the f irst decade of the third millennium and argues for closer East-West collaborations,to bring in fresh perspectives,avoid dupl ications of effort and in order to help answer many of the remaining challenges in making hepatitis B history.