London: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B has been eliminated in the UK.
The target set by the WHO is to reduce the rate of hepatitis B transmission from mothers to newborns to less than two per cent, and according to figures from the UK’s Health Security Agency, the rate in the UK has fallen to 0.1 per cent.
The British Health Security Agency said the development was a result of efforts to combat viral infections. This viral infection can cause liver damage, cancer and even death if left untreated.
In the National Health Services (NHS), children aged eight, 12 and 16 weeks are given the ‘six-in-one’ vaccine.
The Health Security Agency said vaccination rates remained high, but older people at high risk of hepatitis B should be vaccinated.
An estimated 26,000 people in the UK are living with chronic hepatitis B infection. Most cases have occurred in migrants who acquired the infection in another country before coming to the UK.
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