Effects of Decreased Immunization Coverage for Hepatitis B Virus Caused by COVID-19 in World Health Organization Western Pacific and African Regions, 2020

The World Health Organization-designated Western Pacific Region (WPR) and African Region (AFR) have the highest number of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections worldwide. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted childhood immunization, threatening progress toward elimination of hepatitis B by 2030....

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Published inEmerging infectious diseases Vol. 28; no. 13; pp. S217 - S224
Main Authors Kabore, Hyacinte J, Li, Xi, Allison, Robert D, Avagyan, Tigran, Mihigo, Richard, Takashima, Yoshihiro, Tohme, Rania A
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 01.12.2022
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Summary:The World Health Organization-designated Western Pacific Region (WPR) and African Region (AFR) have the highest number of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections worldwide. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted childhood immunization, threatening progress toward elimination of hepatitis B by 2030. We used a published mathematical model to estimate the number of expected and excess HBV infections and related deaths after 10% and 20% decreases in hepatitis B birth dose or third-dose hepatitis B vaccination coverage of children born in 2020 compared with prepandemic 2019 levels. Decreased vaccination coverage resulted in additional chronic HBV infections that were 36,342-395,594 in the WPR and 9,793-502,047 in the AFR; excess HBV-related deaths were 7,150-80,302 in the WPR and 1,177-67,727 in the AFR. These findings support the urgent need to sustain immunization services, implement catch-up vaccinations, and mitigate disruptions in hepatitis B vaccinations in future birth cohorts.
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ISSN:1080-6040
1080-6059
1080-6059
DOI:10.3201/eid2813.212300