Southeast Asian countries make progress on hepatitis B vaccination

Countries in Southeast Asia have made a lot of progress toward introducing regular immunization against hepatitis B, according to new CDC data. The virus is most often transmitted from mother to child during pregnancy, and can cause both acute and chronic disease in the liver. The report found that by 2016, all 11 countries in the WHO's Southeast Asia region had introduced a hepatitis B vaccine into their national immunization programs. Coverage rates for the dose of the vaccine administered at birth increased from 34% to 54% between 2016 - 2019, while coverage rates for the third dose of the vaccine (the WHO recommends a total of three doses) increased from 89% to 91%. And four countries, including Bangladesh and Thailand, achieved vaccination rates by the end of last year to meet the WHO's 2020 goal for hepatitis B control.