A liver infection caused by HBV. It can become chronic and lead to liver cancer, cirrhosis, and death. The vaccine is the first anti-cancer vaccine.
Hepatitis B is a liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). It can cause acute illness with symptoms like jaundice, fatigue, and nausea, or become a chronic infection. Chronic HBV affects over 290 million people globally and causes approximately 820,000 deaths annually from liver cancer and cirrhosis (WHO, 2024).
In the United States, about 1.2 million people have chronic hepatitis B. The virus is transmitted through blood, semen, and other body fluids, either sexually or through sharing needles, razors, or other items contaminated with infected blood.