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©2014 Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jul 21, 2014; 20(27): 8998-9016
Published online Jul 21, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i27.8998
Published online Jul 21, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i27.8998
Hepatitis B virus: Where do we stand and what is the next step for eradication?
Haruki Komatsu, Department of Pediatrics, Toho University Sakura Medical Center, Chiba 285-8741, Japan
Author contributions: Komatsu H wrote this article.
Correspondence to: Haruki Komatsu, MD, PhD, Department of Pediatrics, Toho University Sakura Medical Center, 564-1 Shimoshizu Sakura, Chiba 285-8741, Japan. haruki-komatsu@chive.ocn.ne.jp
Telephone: +81-43-4628811 Fax: +81-43-4630801
Received: September 20, 2013
Revised: December 9, 2013
Accepted: April 15, 2014
Published online: July 21, 2014
Processing time: 304 Days and 10.7 Hours
Revised: December 9, 2013
Accepted: April 15, 2014
Published online: July 21, 2014
Processing time: 304 Days and 10.7 Hours
Core Tip
Core tip: Hepatitis B (HB) vaccines, which are the first vaccines that have been proven to prevent cancer, have played a crucial role in preventing HB virus (HBV) infection worldwide since their development in the 1980s. In particular, the HB vaccines have been rapidly integrated into the national immunisation programs of low-income countries since the Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunization was launched in 2000. However, we have still not eradicated HBV. More than 240 million people worldwide are carriers of HBV. The vaccine strategies, current status of HBV infection, and unresolved issues related to controlling HBV infection are discussed in this review.