Hepatitis B: Nation Sees Progress in Fight
China’s Historic Victory: Halving Hepatitis B Transmission and Charting a Course for Elimination
Beijing, China – In a landmark achievement for public health, China has dramatically reduced mother-too-child transmission of Hepatitis B, a critical step towards the World Health Institution’s (WHO) 2030 goal of eliminating the disease. Decades of sustained, multi-pronged public health interventions have transformed the landscape of Hepatitis B infection in the country, once a critically important burden on national health.
The story of li, a new mother at a Beijing maternity and child care hospital, exemplifies this success. Her newborn received a Hepatitis B vaccine and a preventive immunoglobulin injection within three hours of birth – a crucial protocol to halt transmission. This immediate intervention, coupled with ongoing monitoring and future vaccine doses, underscores China’s commitment to protecting its youngest citizens.
“After more than 30 years of continuous efforts, China has achieved decisive and historic success,” stated wang Yu, chairman of the Chinese Foundation for Hepatitis Prevention and Control, ahead of World Hepatitis Day. He highlighted that chronic Hepatitis B, primarily spread through mother-to-child transmission in the past, severely impacted the overall health of the Chinese population, with nearly 10% of the population carrying the virus in the early 1990s, a precursor to liver cirrhosis and cancer.
official data paints a compelling picture of this progress. The Hepatitis B surface antigen carrier rate among children under five plummeted to 0.3% in 2020, a significant drop from 0.96% in 2006, falling well below the WHO’s 1% target for the Western Pacific region. Overall prevalence in the Chinese population has also declined to 5.86% in recent years, a stark contrast to the 9.75% recorded in 1992.
This remarkable turnaround is attributed to a robust strategy encompassing antiviral therapy for pregnant women, timely newborn vaccinations, and immunoglobulin injections for infants born to infected mothers. The National Health Commission fully launched a nationwide program to prevent mother-to-child transmission in 2015, reinforcing these critical measures.
Beyond immediate medical interventions, China has implemented thorough screening and counseling for all pregnant women, alongside diligent follow-up monitoring for those who test positive. Children born to infected mothers undergo testing one to two months after completing their preventive treatment regimen. The impact is undeniable: from 2011 to 2024, the Hepatitis B testing rate among pregnant women surged from 89% to an impressive 99%. In 2024 alone, 9.45 million pregnant women were screened, with 397,000 testing positive. Crucially, the immunoglobulin injection rate for infants born to infected mothers reached a near-perfect 99.9% last year.”With our current technological capabilities and healthcare service coverage, we can protect every newborn from infection,” Wang affirmed, underscoring the nation’s confidence in its public health infrastructure.
Li Qun, deputy director general of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, noted that the declining infection rates among women of childbearing age signal China’s trajectory towards the WHO’s 2030 elimination goal. He credited the country’s strong obstetric system and near-universal hospital delivery rate for facilitating timely immunization. “We must stick to the strategy of administering the first vaccine dose within 24 hours of birth – and within 12 hours for newborns of infected mothers,” he emphasized, adding that China is eager to share its prosperous and cost-effective vaccination strategies globally.
Martin Taylor, the WHO representative to china, lauded the nation’s advancements in hepatitis control, specifically highlighting a 99% reduction in child infections through vaccination and the impact of goverment-led drug price negotiations on affordability.
Despite these significant victories, China still grapples with approximately 75 million chronic Hepatitis B patients, who represent the primary cause of liver cancer in the country. To address this ongoing challenge,Xia Gang,deputy director of the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration,outlined future plans. These include expanding screening programs in developed regions, enhancing standardized treatment coverage, and strengthening chronic disease management to mitigate complications like liver cirrhosis and cancer.
China’s journey in combating Hepatitis B serves as a powerful testament to the efficacy of sustained public health investment and strategic intervention, offering a beacon of hope and a valuable model for global health initiatives.