Hepatitis B is one of the major infectious diseases of mankind with 35
0000000 chronic carriers at high risk of death from cirrhosis and prim
ary liver cancer The probability becoming a chronic HBV carrier follow
ing infection depends primarily on age, and ranges from 70% following
mother to child transmission to less than 10% following adult infectio
n The world is conceptually divided into regions of high, intermediate
, and low endemicity, with predominant modes of transmission differing
by region. In Asia and Africa, most transmission occurs among childre
n, whereas in Western Europe and North America most transmission occur
s during early adult life due to lifestyle, occupational exposures, or
exposures within ethnic groups where the virus is endemic.