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  • Title: Hep B: more haves, but too many have-nots.
    Journal: Vaccine Immun News; 1996 Oct; (2):4-5. PubMed ID: 12179908.
    Abstract:
    There are an estimated 350 million chronic carriers of hepatitis B virus (HBV) worldwide, most of whom are children, and an estimated 1.2 million people die annually from an HBV-related disease. However, immunizing infants against HBV could prevent new infections and reduce levels of HBV-related morbidity and mortality worldwide. To that end, the Expanded Program on Immunization in 1991 set 1997 as the target date for all countries' national immunization programs to have adopted HBV vaccine into their universal immunization package. 80 World Health Organization (WHO) member states have met this goal and 10 more countries plan to soon incorporate HBV. That means that there are still 110 WHO member states not using vaccine against HBV. The vaccine is now reaching only 20% of the world's infants. Real problems remain to be surmounted in delivering HBV vaccine to children in the poorest countries, places which cannot afford the vaccine but often have a heavy burden of hepatitis B disease. 63 priority countries have been identified, countries in which more than 5% of the population is chronically infected and there is an efficient immunization infrastructure.
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