Chronic Hepatitis B Affects Millions Worldwide – So Why Do People Know So Little About It?

A new survey from biopharmaceutical company GSK highlights awareness as being one of the biggest barriers to tackling the public health threat that chronic hepatitis B presents around the globe.¹

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Chronic hepatitis B is not something most people think about in their day-to-day lives.¹ But, globally, it remains a major health issue – and one that health leaders say is not improving fast enough.²

Chronic hepatitis B is a long-term liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus, which can increase the risk of developing severe liver damage (cirrhosis) and liver cancer.³ People can become infected with the hepatitis B virus through exposure to infected blood and other bodily fluids.² Most people do not experience any symptoms when initially infected with the hepatitis B virus, and the infection can go unnoticed for many years.²˒³

It is estimated that approximately 240 million people are living with chronic hepatitis B globally.²˒³ Yet despite the burden, the World Health Organization (WHO) states that efforts to eliminate hepatitis B as a public health threat by 2030 are currently off track.²

While tools like vaccinations, testing and treatment already exist, progress has not kept pace with what is........

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