Tag: Hepatitis B

Chronic hepatitis B in Canada: Challenges, insights and pathways forward

Hepatitis B is a liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV), which can result in either acute or chronic infection. Most HBV infections are transmitted from mother to child at birth, shortly after birth, or during early childhood. Research shows that infections in babies and young children are more likely to become long-term, so vaccination at birth is crucial to prevent transmission. Other modes of transmission include exposure to infected body fluids like blood, saliva, vaginal fluids and semen. The main transmission routes include injection drug use, vaginal, anal and oral sex, being born to a mother with...

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Progress toward viral hepatitis elimination in Canada: Holding governments accountable

On May 11, 2023, Action Hepatitis Canada (AHC) released its Progress Toward Viral Hepatitis Elimination in Canada 2023 Report. This is an update on the 2021 report and provides an analysis of each province and territory’s progress toward eliminating viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030, a goal set by the World Health Organization (WHO). With a cure for hepatitis C and a vaccine for hepatitis B, this is an ambitious yet realistic goal. Two years after the initial report, we wanted to see what progress had been made in adopting person-centred policies through a health equity lens,...

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What needs to happen to eliminate hepatitis B in Canada

When you think of hepatitis B, what comes to mind? An infection you can acquire while travelling? A virus that can be passed through sex or sharing needles? An infection that is mostly preventable with a two-dose vaccine? While all of these are true, the epidemiological realities of hepatitis B in Canada are changing. More and more Canadians with hepatitis B are immigrants and newcomers from countries where hepatitis B is endemic, and where transmission mostly occurs during pregnancy and childbirth. A recent study from the University of Waterloo suggests that under current strategies for diagnosis, vaccination and treatment, Canada...

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