Hepatitis B Virus (HBV)

Approximately 296 million people worldwide are living with chronic HBV infection, causing more than one million deaths annually. Chronic HBV infection is responsible for 80% of hepatocellular carcinoma cases and related mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. An estimated 100 million individuals in sub-Saharan Africa are chronically infected with HBV, representing a regional prevalence of 6.5%. Over two-thirds of all new chronic HBV cases globally originate from sub-Saharan Africa, driven primarily by vertical transmission. Approximately 4.5 million HBV-infected women of childbearing age give birth each year in endemic regions including sub-Saharan Africa.