Selective primary health care: strategies for control of disease in the developing world. III. Hepatitis B virus and its related diseases.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infects people throughout the world; the highest rates of infection are in sub-saharan Africa and east Asia. Morbidity and mortality accrue from acute hepatitis, chronic hepatitis, and primary hepatocellular carcinoma. In the developing world most HBV transmission occurs during infancy or early childhood. The production of an effective vaccine against this virus opens a new arena for disease control. Vaccination, along with sterilization of medical instruments, could well lead to the interruption of HBV transmission.