Hepatitis B: Meeting Our Elimination Targets

Action Hepatitis Canada calls on to the provinces and territories to adopt a uniform policy of infant vaccination against hepatitis B. 

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In May 2016, Canada signed on to the World Health Organization (WHO)’s first ever Global Viral Hepatitis Strategy, with the goal of eliminating viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030. With vaccines and treatments available, and a cure being explored, hepatitis B elimination is possible.

Prevalence:

• 257 million people are estimated to be living with hepatitis B globally, with an estimated 230 thousand people living with this disease in Canada.
• Populations especially affected in Canada include Indigenous people and people who have emigrated from an endemic country.

​Prevention:

Hepatitis B is a vaccine-preventable disease.

The World Health Organization recommends that all infants be vaccinated within 24 hours of birth. While all Canadian provinces and territories offer the vaccine, currently the policy on ages varies widely, from birth to 12 years.

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​Infant vaccination is especially important as over 90% of infants who become infected will develop chronic hepatitis B, compared to 5% of adults (95% of adults will clear their hepatitis B infections spontaneously).

Implementing infant vaccination consistently across Canada is the #1 way to bring the number of new infections in children close to zero.