Cuba says it eradicated viral hepatitis B in children

Cuba says it eradicated viral hepatitis B in children
Published June 24, 2012
EFE

Cuba has eradicated acute viral hepatitis B in children younger than 15,
thanks to immunization campaigns featuring vaccines that provide
lifetime protection, state media reported.

No cases of the disease have been reported on the island in the past 23
years in the pediatric age group, with the incidence of the disease
reduced by 99.04 percent from 2,194 cases in 1989 to 21 in 2011, all of
them involving people older than 30, the official Granma newspaper
reported, citing medical specialists.

Cuba has administered the Heberbiovac HB vaccine, which is produced by
the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, since 1992.

The vaccination campaign was later expanded to students and members of
at-risk groups, such as health professionals and dialysis patients,
among others, Granma said.

Everyone in Cuba below the age of 31 has been vaccinated against the
disease, Granma said.

Hepatitis B is one of the five viruses that have been identified as
causing swelling of the liver, a disease that can become chronic if
contracted at an early age and can cause blood problems, cirrhosis and
cancer. EFE

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