WHO Simplifies Eligibility For Treatment Of Hepatitis B In New Guidelines

New Delhi: The World Health Organisation (WHO) released new guidelines on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of chronic Hepatitis B (HBV) infection at the 2024 Asian Pacific Conference for the Study of Liver Disease (APASL) in Kyoto, Japan. These guidelines provide a substantial simplification and expansion of eligibility for treatment to overcome barriers for accessing HBV testing and treatment.Notably, more than 250 million people live with Chronic Hepatitis B infection, leading to increasing deaths each year. Most of the global burden of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is due to mother-to-child transmission at or shortly after birth. WHO’s Global Health Sector Strategy sets actions and targets to eliminate viral Hepatitis by 2030 by driving new infections and deaths down to half a million each globally – a reduction of 90% and 65%, respectively.

Hepatitis B prevalence is highest in sub-Saharan Africa and East Asia. In India, the prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) is 3-4.2% with over 40 million HBV carriers. Every year over
115,000 Indians die of Hepatitis B-related complications. There are 10 known HBV genotypes, classified from A to J.

Antiviral treatment is highly effective for people with CHB infection. It can improve survival and reduce progression of liver disease and the development of liver cancer. However, major testing and treatment gaps remain.

The 2024 guidelines prioritise simplified treatment criteria for adults and adolescents and expanded eligibility for antiviral prophylaxis for pregnant women to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HBV. The guidelines also focus on enhancing HBV diagnostics through point-of-care viral load testing, addressing diagnosis of Delta coinfection – a major cause of HBV-related morbidity and mortality – using testing protocols, and approaches to delivering high-quality HBV services.

What is Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B is a vaccine-preventable liver infection caused by the ). Hepatitis B is spread when blood, semen, or other body fluids from a person infected with the virus enters the body of someone who is not infected.