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

Table 1 Challenges and solutions in the public health response to hepatitis B

Challenges	Possible solutions
Lower HBV immunization rates in remote/ marginalized populations	Develop effective outreach vaccination programs
	Community education
Unresponsive HBV surveillance systems	Develop uniform, pragmatic case definitions for acute HBV infection
	Redesign surveillance systems
Low rates of HBV screening	Reduce stigma and discrimination
	Increased awareness and education about HBV
	Replace once-off screening with systematic follow up
Cost of screening and treatment programs	Develop more cost-effective programs
Access to treatment	Increase treatment access and reduce cost of drugs
	Seek innovative ways of providing treatment access and know-how for less developed countries

HBV: hepatitis B virus.