| Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is an underappreciated disease in the United States that despite readily available medical therapy remains underdiagnosed and undertreated. Recognition of HBV in the community is hampered by limited exposure during medical education and training. At risk populations in the United States continue to be at risk for horizontal and vertical transmission. This has led to a persistence of HBV in the United States with resultant morbidity and mortality associated with cirrhosis, hepatic decompensation, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Prevention efforts are grounded in education of at-risk populations and clinical providers as well as population-level testing and prophylaxis measures. This presentation will update and summarize the latest on the prevention of HBV in the United States including recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), and the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD). Specifically, it will address testing of pregnant women, administration of prophylaxis to infants born to HBV-infected women, as well as vaccination recommendations for children, adolescents, and adults. Post-exposure and post-transplant prophylaxis as well as HBV transmission prevention in the health care setting will also be addressed. |
