Implications of Birth-Dose Vaccination against Hepatitis B Virus in Southeast Asia

• Main Authors: Sheikh Mohammad Fazle Akbar, Mamun Al Mahtab, Ferdousi Begum, Shaikh A. Shahed Hossain, Sukumar Sarker, Ananta Shrestha, Md. Sakirul Islam Khan, Osamu Yoshida, Yoichi Hiasa
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-04-01
• Series: Vaccines
• Subjects: hepatitis B vaccine; EPI; birth-dose vaccine; SEARO
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/9/4/374

The World Health Organization (WHO) South-East Asia Regional Office (SEARO) covers 11 countries with a combined population of about 2 billion people, making it the most populous of the six WHO regions. In 1992, the WHO advocated including the hepatitis B vaccine in the Expanded Program of Immunization (EPI) and vaccinating all infants and children three times within 1 year of birth (HepB3). Recently, the WHO advocate birth-dose hepatitis B vaccination (HepB-BD) as soon as possible after birth, preferably within 24 hours. In 2016, the SEARO endorsed a regional hepatitis B control goal with a target of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) seroprevalence of ≤1% among children aged ≥5 years by 2020. Of the 11 SEARO countries, four achieved this target on schedule. Out of these four countries, two countries (Bangladesh and Nepal) have not adopted HepB-BD in EPI program. On the other hand, the coverage of HepB3 is not satisfactory in some SEARO countries, including India which adopted HepB-BD but could not achieve the overall target of SEARO. Thus, it is a point of debate whether emphasis should be placed on proper implementation of HepB3 or whether a new agenda of HepB-BD should be incorporated in developing countries of SEARO. The article discusses strengthening and expanding the Hepatitis B vaccination program in SEARO countries with an emphasis on HepB and HepB-BD programs.