Hepatitis B vaccines: accomplishments, shortcomings, and future developments
Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a serious global health problem, with two billion people infected worldwide, and 350 million suffering from chronic HBV infection. HBV infections result in 500,000 to 1.2 million deaths per year caused by chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular
carcinoma; the latter accounts for 320,000 deaths per year.
carcinoma; the latter accounts for 320,000 deaths per year.