Journal of Viral Hepatitis最新文献

{"title":"Hepatitis B Virus Infection and the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: Findings From the China Kadoorie Biobank","authors":"Chun-Rui Wang,&nbsp;Qian Zhu,&nbsp;Feng-Chuan Jing,&nbsp;Sheng-Xin Tang,&nbsp;Guo-Chao Zhong","doi":"10.1111/jvh.70157","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jvh.70157","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The existing evidence on the association of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection with the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is limited and mixed. Moreover, no epidemiological studies have been conducted to comprehensively investigate this association in China. Hence, we performed a nationwide prospective cohort study to address these issues. Our study included 477,126 adults without a history of CVD. Participants were recruited from 10 diverse areas in China during 2004–2008, and followed up through December 31, 2016. Adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for CVD incidence was calculated using Cox regression. Subgroup analyses were conducted to identify the potential effect modifiers. During a mean follow-up of 9.94 years, 32,841 ischemic heart disease events, 35,532 ischemic strokes, 5538 intracerebral haemorrhages, 3165 acute myocardial infarction events, and 2939 heart failure events were observed. HBsAg-positive participants had a lower risk of ischemic heart disease [HR: 0.91, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.84, 0.98; <i>p</i>: 0.011] but a higher risk of intracerebral haemorrhage (HR: 1.25, 95% CI: 1.07, 1.46; <i>p</i>: 0.004) than HBsAg-negative participants. These associations could not be modified by age, sex, study area, body mass index, regular alcohol intake, regular smoking, and physical activity level, and remained in a series of sensitivity analyses. No significant associations were found for ischemic stroke, acute myocardial infarction, and heart failure in the whole study population. In conclusion, HBV infection confers a decreased risk of ischemic heart disease but an increased risk of intracerebral haemorrhage in this Chinese population. More studies are needed to clarify the corresponding mechanisms.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":17762,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Viral Hepatitis","volume":"33 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-02-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147271615","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"All-Cause Mortality in Persons With HIV-HBV Co-Infection Treated for HBV in Rwanda: A Population-Based Cohort Study","authors":"Jean Damascene Makuza,&nbsp;Michael Law,&nbsp;Joseph Puyat,&nbsp;Alnoor Ramji,&nbsp;Dahn Jeong,&nbsp;Richard L. Morrow,&nbsp;Prince Asumadu Adu,&nbsp;Marie Paul Nisingizwe,&nbsp;Alpamys Issanov,&nbsp;Georgine Cua,&nbsp;Héctor Alexander Velásquez García,&nbsp;Charles Berabose,&nbsp;Albert Tuyishime,&nbsp;Naveed Zafar Janjua","doi":"10.1111/jvh.70158","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jvh.70158","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection increases the risk of cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma and non-liver complications. HIV co-infection accelerates disease progression and increases mortality risk compared to HBV mono-infection, but its impact among treated individuals is not well documented in Sub-Saharan Africa. We evaluated all-cause mortality among people with chronic HBV on treatment and assessed the effect of HIV/HBV co-infection. A retrospective cohort study using data from Rwanda's District Health Information System 2 included individuals aged ≥ 2 years treated for HBV between January 2016 and June 2022. Follow-up began 12 months after treatment initiation until death or 30 June 2023. Crude mortality rates were calculated, and multilevel Cox proportional hazards regression, accounting for hospital clustering, assessed the impact of HIV/HBV co-infection on all-cause mortality. Among 4843 people who received HBV treatment (3905 with HBV mono-infection and 838 with HIV/HBV co-infection), median follow-up was 3.8 (interquartile range 2.8) years. Thirty-four deaths occurred, yielding an overall crude mortality rate of 1.6 per 1000 person-years (PY). Mortality rate was higher among individuals with HIV/HBV co-infection compared to those with HBV mono-infection (3.3 vs. 1.1 per 1000 PY, respectively). HIV/HBV co-infection was associated with increased all-cause mortality (adjusted hazard ratio 4.07, 95% confidence interval: 1.71, 9.69). Mortality was low among HBV-treated individuals in Rwanda. However, HIV co-infection significantly increased mortality risk, highlighting the importance of closer follow-up of individuals with HIV/HBV co-infection and further studies on the role of HIV viral load suppression.</p>","PeriodicalId":17762,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Viral Hepatitis","volume":"33 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-02-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12926269/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147271588","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Hepatic Steatosis Inhibits Hepatitis B Virus Replication by Promoting miR-122-5p-SOX4","authors":"Guanghui Ren,&nbsp;Kaining Jia,&nbsp;Sitong Yi,&nbsp;Shi Yin,&nbsp;Guiqun Huang,&nbsp;Ying Zhu","doi":"10.1111/jvh.70151","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jvh.70151","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The rising prevalence of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and metabolic dysfunction–associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) comorbidity necessitates a deeper understanding of their clinical interplay. Although miR-122 is a known liver-specific regulator of chronic liver diseases, its specific role in the context of CHB-MAFLD remains elucidated. In this study, serum analysis revealed that CHB-MAFLD patients exhibit significantly lower levels of HBV DNA, pgRNA, and HBsAg compared to patients with CHB alone, which correlated with elevated miR-122 expression. Through bioinformatics and molecular assays, SOX4 was identified as a direct downstream target of miR-122-5p. Utilizing an HBV-infected steatotic cell model, we observed that the comorbid state suppresses HBV replication markers—including DNA, pgRNA, HBsAg, and HBcrAg—while concurrently upregulating the miR-122-5p/SOX4 axis. Functional experiments demonstrated that miR-122-5p and SOX4 both act as inhibitors of HBV activity, as their knockdown enhanced viral replication, while their overexpression led to significant suppression. These findings suggest that the metabolic environment in CHB-MAFLD may naturally suppress HBV replication through the activation of a novel miR-122/SOX4 regulatory axis. This study highlights miR-122 as a potential therapeutic target and provides a mechanistic basis for the altered viral kinetics observed in patients with dual liver pathology.</p>\u0000 <p><b>Trial Registration:</b> Chinese Clinical Trial Registry identifier: ChiCTR2200063555</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":17762,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Viral Hepatitis","volume":"33 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146258557","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Hepatitis E Infection in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis","authors":"Dionysios Kogias,&nbsp;Georgios Kouklakis,&nbsp;Vasileios Papadopoulos","doi":"10.1111/jvh.70152","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jvh.70152","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Opportunistic infections are increasingly recognised in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), particularly among those receiving immunosuppressive therapy. Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a leading cause of acute viral hepatitis worldwide, yet its relevance in IBD remains insufficiently clarified. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to explore the association between HEV infection and IBD. A comprehensive literature search was performed in PubMed/MEDLINE and Google Scholar up to May 2025, identifying all studies reporting HEV infection in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) or Crohn's disease (CD), with or without a control group. Study quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Checklist for Analytical Cross-Sectional Studies. Six eligible studies encompassing 1316 IBD patients were included in the qualitative and quantitative synthesis. The pooled prevalence of anti-HEV IgG (HEV-G) antibodies among IBD patients was 13.5%, though with notable heterogeneity. Anti-HEV IgM (HEV-M) and HEV-RNA positivity rates were significantly lower, at 1.9% and 0.03%, respectively. When compared with the general population, IBD patients exhibited similar HEV-G and HEV-M prevalence, and comparable rates were observed between UC and CD subgroups. In contrast, immunocompromised transplant recipients demonstrated markedly higher HEV seropositivity. Sensitivity analyses confined to European cohorts indicated a modest rise in HEV-G and HEV-M levels, particularly among patients receiving intensified immunosuppression. Clinically, unexplained elevations of liver enzymes in IBD should prompt consideration of HEV infection. Overall, HEV prevalence in IBD parallels that of the general population; however, severe immunosuppression may predispose to persistent infection or liver-related complications, warranting routine testing for accurate diagnosis.</p>","PeriodicalId":17762,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Viral Hepatitis","volume":"33 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12923650/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146258513","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Regional Comparisons of the Prevalence and Socioeconomics of Hepatitis Delta Virus in Two Southern California Counties","authors":"Kevin Pak,&nbsp;Mei Leng,&nbsp;Jeffrey Nguyen,&nbsp;Karine Moussa,&nbsp;Robert Gish,&nbsp;Steven-Huy Han,&nbsp;Paul Pockros","doi":"10.1111/jvh.70155","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jvh.70155","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The global prevalence of chronic hepatitis D virus (HDV) is estimated to be 4%–5%. Our aim was to determine the prevalence of HDV exposure in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) in three different healthcare systems based in San Diego (SD) County and Los Angeles (LA) County of California. We retrospectively reviewed all adult CHB patients screened for anti-HDV IgG antibody (HDV Ab) who were seen from 2010 to 2024 in the hepatology clinics at Scripps Clinic (SC) in La Jolla, California, and La Maestra Clinic (LM) in SD, and from 2019 to 2023 at UCLA. We determined the median household income by ZIP Code to stratify all patients by socioeconomic status (SES). At SC, 593 of 2441 patients with CHB were screened for HDV. A total of 14 patients tested positive for HDV Ab (2.4%). Two of the 14 patients had detectable HDV RNA. At LM, 118 of 312 patients with CHB were screened for HDV and three patients had a positive HDV Ab (2.5%). None had detectable HDV RNA. At UCLA, 234 of 267 patients with CHB were screened for HDV, and 10 patients had a positive HDV Ab (4.3%). One patient had detectable HDV RNA. Most patients screened at LM, SC, and UCLA belonged to the lowest median yearly income ($75,281), middle ($101,105), and high ($123,271) categories, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in the prevalence of HDV Ab among each cohort. Of almost a thousand CHB patients who were screened for HDV exposure across three healthcare systems, the prevalence of HDV Ab-positive patients was 2.4%–4.3% without statistically significant differences. Patients from LM, SC, and UCLA were representative of low, middle, and high socioeconomic groups, respectively. This suggests that SES may be less of a risk factor for HDV infection. The HDV PCR-positive (chronic infection) rates were low, ranging from 0% to 0.4%.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":17762,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Viral Hepatitis","volume":"33 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-02-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146213489","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Refining Risk Stratification for Oesophageal Varices in HCV-Related Cirrhosis: A Comprehensive Analysis of the Albumin Platelet Product and Elastography Biomarkers","authors":"Maha Elsabaawy,&nbsp;Madiha Naguib,&nbsp;Mai Magdy,&nbsp;Ahmed Shaban,&nbsp;Essam Zayed","doi":"10.1111/jvh.70146","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jvh.70146","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The albumin platelet product (APP) has recently been explored as a non-invasive marker of liver fibrosis, but its potential to predict portal hypertension and oesophageal varices (OVs) remains under-evaluated. This study aimed to assess the diagnostic accuracy of APP in predicting and grading OVs in cirrhotic patients and to compare its performance with established serum indices and elastography-based measures. A total of 372 patients with HCV-related liver cirrhosis underwent upper endoscopy for OV assessment. APP was calculated and evaluated alongside liver stiffness (LS), spleen stiffness (SS), aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) and fibrosis-4 (FIB-4). In the derivation cohort, APP demonstrated an AUROC of 0.80 (95% CI: 0.75–0.86) for detecting OVs, comparable to LS (0.82; 95% CI: 0.76–0.88) and superior to SS (0.78; 95% CI: 0.71–0.84), FIB-4 (0.68; 95% CI: 0.61–0.74) and APRI (0.66; 95% CI: 0.60–0.72). In the validation cohort, APP maintained a robust performance (AUROC 0.79; 95% CI: 0.73–0.85), confirming reproducibility. For high-risk (large) varices, APP achieved an AUROC of 0.87 (95% CI: 0.82–0.93), outperforming LS (0.83; 95% CI: 0.77–0.89) and SS (0.85; 95% CI: 0.79–0.91). Accordingly, the APP demonstrates superior accuracy over liver and spleen stiffness in predicting oesophageal varices among patients with HCV-related cirrhosis, offering a cost-effective, non-invasive alternative within this population.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":17762,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Viral Hepatitis","volume":"33 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146165822","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Setting the Record Straight: Utility and Outcomes in Patients With HCV Related HCC","authors":"María Fernanda Guerra-Veloz,&nbsp;Sital Shah,&nbsp;Beatrice Emmanouil,&nbsp;Mia Olsen,&nbsp;Renita George,&nbsp;Sarah Selemani,&nbsp;Paul J. Ross,&nbsp;Ivana Carey,&nbsp;Neha Mehta,&nbsp;Mark Gillyon-Powell,&nbsp;Kosh Agarwal","doi":"10.1111/jvh.70148","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jvh.70148","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The effectiveness of direct acting antiviral (DAA) therapy in patients with active hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is poorly defined. NHS England approved DAA therapy for all viraemic patients, including those with HCC. The aim of this retrospective study is to provide a real-life data of treatment outcomes in those with active HCC. Patients with HCV related HCC from the National Hepatitis C registry in South-East England between 2016 and 2023 were included. The primary outcome was to assess the HCV care cascade in patients with HCV related HCC (HCC cohort) in comparison with those with advanced fibrosis/cirrhosis without HCC (non-HCC cohort). 1518 HCV RNA-positive patients started DAA therapy. 92.4% (1403) were included in the non-HCC cohort and 7.6% (115) were included in the HCC cohort. The SVR rate in the HCC cohort was 87% (80/92) versus 94.5% (1126/1191) in the non-HCC cohort (<i>p</i> = 0.003). In the multivariate analysis, only the presence of HCC (OR 0.4 95% CI 0.2–0.9; <i>p</i> = 0.029) was associated with a lower probability of achieving SVR. SVR rates were 95.6%, 50%, 75% and 22.2% and the median overall survival (OS) was 80, 29, 17 and 3 months for BCLC 0-A/B/C/D respectively. OS was longer in those who achieved SVR. More than two thirds of patients with HCV-related HCC initiated and completed DAA therapies. This high level of treatment uptake has led to an acceptable cure rate. Treating patients with HCV and HCC should be viewed as an appropriate clinical standard to improve overall outcomes. However, DAA therapy should not be initiated in those with a short life expectancy.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":17762,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Viral Hepatitis","volume":"33 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146150165","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Real-World Impact of a Simplified ‘Test and Treat’ Strategy for In-Hospital HCV Micro-Elimination","authors":"Chunfang You,&nbsp;Yuting Diao,&nbsp;Juan Tang,&nbsp;Jing Tang,&nbsp;Wei Deng,&nbsp;Chunqi Zheng,&nbsp;Dongxia Liao,&nbsp;Dan Song,&nbsp;Jie Wang,&nbsp;Yangyang Pu","doi":"10.1111/jvh.70150","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jvh.70150","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Hepatitis C virus (HCV) micro-elimination faces challenges from fragmented care pathways, particularly in high-prevalence regions with complex genotypes and socioeconomic barriers. This study evaluated a simplified ‘Test and Treat’ (TNT) strategy to enhance in-hospital HCV micro-elimination by reducing delays and improving linkage to care. Outcomes including HCV RNA testing rates, treatment uptake rates, time to treatment initiation and sustained virological response at 12 weeks (SVR12) of Pre-TNT (Jan. 2022–Dec. 2022) and post-TNT (Jan. 2023–Dec. 2024) were compared. Following TNT implementation, among 168,527 screened patients, the HCV RNA testing rate increased to 93.96% (2070/2203) from 68.17% under pre-TNT, and the treatment rate among viremic patients rose to 81.98% (678/827) from 63.05%. The median time to treatment initiation was dramatically reduced from 12.5 to 3.8 days. SVR12 remained high, with a rate of 99.71%. Barriers among untreated patients were investigated via surveys and follow-ups. Surveys of 500 HCV antibody positive patients revealed limited affordability (only 5% could bear costs &gt; ¥8000) and low health literacy (only 39% knew about prevention and treatment). Among 149 untreated viremic patients, financial constraints and the perception that treatment was unnecessary while asymptomatic were key refusal reasons. The in-hospital streamlined TNT strategy significantly improved HCV RNA testing linkage and treatment uptake, markedly reduced time to treatment initiation and achieved near-universal cure, surpassing WHO treatment targets. Its effectiveness supports broader adoption in high-prevalence regions, though complementary interventions addressing affordability and health literacy are needed for further progress.</p>","PeriodicalId":17762,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Viral Hepatitis","volume":"33 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-02-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12887545/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146150182","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Community-Engaged Approach to Identifying and Addressing Viral Hepatitis Determinants in Michigan Asian American Communities","authors":"Parnnate Wongsirisakul,&nbsp;Neehar D. Parikh,&nbsp;Jonathan Troost,&nbsp;Hannah Par,&nbsp;Thanvir Chowdhury,&nbsp;Qingqing Zhang,&nbsp;Yi-Chun Wang,&nbsp;Tsu-Yin Wu,&nbsp;Ponni V. Perumalswami","doi":"10.1111/jvh.70149","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jvh.70149","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Approximately 75% of people infected with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the United States (U.S.) have yet to be tested, thus leading to the risk of liver disease progression that can be prevented by early diagnosis. Asian Americans (AA) are disproportionately infected with HBV and HCV in the U.S., including in the state of Michigan. Using a theory-informed approach, we conducted a bi-level quantitative study to identify determinants of viral hepatitis and liver cancer care and treatment. We drafted and administered surveys to 151 community members across three Michigan AA communities (Burmese, Chinese and Bangladeshi). The results were then presented to a Community Advisory Panel (CAP) comprised of community leaders who suggested interventional adaptations. Survey respondents who had previously tested for viral hepatitis were wealthier, more proficient in English and had immigrated to the U.S. earlier. They also had higher health literacy, more knowledge of HBV transmission and greater self-efficacy. CAP members recommended that education be delivered in a shareable video format to address health literacy and medical access. Additional recommendations included tabling at community events and tailoring programmes to age. Using these data, we can develop a needs-based, culturally targeted intervention to raise awareness, reduce stigma and increase viral hepatitis screening in Michigan AA communities.</p>","PeriodicalId":17762,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Viral Hepatitis","volume":"33 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jvh.70149","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146122843","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Uptake of the Birth Dose HBV Vaccine and Associated Factors Among Children in Sub-Saharan Africa: An Analysis Using Recent Demographic and Health Survey Data","authors":"Alemayehu Kasu Gebrehana,&nbsp;Angwach Abrham Asnake,&nbsp;Beminate Lemma Seifu,&nbsp;Bezawit Melak Fente,&nbsp;Mamaru Melkam,&nbsp;Meklit Melaku Bezie,&nbsp;Sintayehu Simie Tsega,&nbsp;Yohannes Mekuria Negussie,&nbsp;Hiwot Altaye Asebe,&nbsp;Zufan Alamrie Asmare","doi":"10.1111/jvh.70147","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jvh.70147","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;The hepatitis B virus birth dose vaccine (HepB-BD) is administered within the first 24 h after birth. When given during this period, along with at least two additional doses, it effectively prevents perinatal HBV infection and induces immunity. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a significant public health problem that can cause substantial mortality and morbidity worldwide. The uptake of the HepB-BD vaccine varies across different regions, with more than 70% birth dose coverage observed only in the Americas and the Western Pacific regions. In contrast, coverage in the African Region is generally low, and sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) experiences even lower coverage than the region as a whole. Despite its importance, there is a lack of evidence regarding the uptake of the HepB-BD in SSA. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the prevalence and factors associated with the uptake of the birth dose HBV vaccine among children in SSA. In this study, we used the recent Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) dataset from 2015 to 2023 for seven SSA countries. STATA version 17 software was used for data analysis. After assessing the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) and performing the Likelihood Ratio (LR) test, we determined that applying multilevel analysis to account for the hierarchical or nested structure of the DHS data did not provide a significantly better fit than the simpler logistic regression model. As a result, we used the rare-event logistic regression model in our analysis. A Hosmer-Lemeshow test was conducted (Prob &gt; &lt;i&gt;χ&lt;/i&gt;&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; = 0.4763), which suggested that the logistic regression model fit the data well. Variables with a &lt;i&gt;p&lt;/i&gt;-value of less than 0.25 in the bivariate rare-event logistic regression model were included in the multivariable rare-event logistic regression analysis. Variables with &lt;i&gt;p&lt;/i&gt;-values less than 0.05 were considered to be significantly associated with the uptake of the birth dose HBV vaccine. The prevalence of birth-dose HBV vaccine uptake in SSA was 2.76% (95% CI: 0.021–0.036). Children whose mothers were aged 35–39 years (AOR = 4.21, 95% CI: 1.11–5.95) and 40–44 years (AOR = 5.36, 95% CI: 1.15–6.13) had higher odds of receiving the birth-dose HBV vaccine compared with those whose mothers were aged 15–19 years. The odds of receiving the birth-dose HBV vaccine were higher among children whose fathers had higher education (AOR = 2.88, 95% CI: 1.20–8.63) as well as those whose fathers' education level was unknown (AOR = 2.61, 95% CI: 1.25–5.46) compared with children whose fathers had no formal education. Furthermore, children from households in the middle wealth index (AOR = 1.86, 95% CI: 1.23–3.51) had higher odds of receiving the birth-dose HBV vaccine than those from the poorest households. Our study revealed that only about three out of every one hundred children in SSA countries received the birth dose of the HBV vaccine within the first 24 h of delivery. Increased ","PeriodicalId":17762,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Viral Hepatitis","volume":"33 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146113410","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}