HBV seroepidemiology data for Africa provides insights into transmission and prevention

nternational goals for elimination of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection set ambitious targets for 2030. In many African populations, HBV prevalence remains high (≥8%) despite the roll-out of infant HBV immunisation from the mid-1990’s onwards. Enhanced efforts are now urgently required to improve an understanding of population epidemiology, in order to determine which interventions are most likely to be effective in advancing populations towards elimination goals. In populations with a high prevalence of infection, catch-up HBV vaccination of adults has sometimes been deployed as a preventive strategy. An alternative approach of ‘test and treat’ could be applied as a tool to interrupt transmission. We used a systematic approach to investigate the relationship between prevalence of HBV infection (HBsAg) and exposure (anti-HBc) in Africa, and then applied a mathematical model to investigate the impact of catch-up vaccination and a ‘test and treat’ strategy in Uganda, representing a high prevalence setting. We demonstrate a strong relationship between the prevalence of HBsAg and anti-HBc (p<0.0001), but with region-specific differences that may reflect different patterns of transmission. In high prevalence settings, catch-up vaccination may have a transient effect but this intervention does not contribute to a sustained decline in prevalence. In contrast, diagnosing and treating infection has a marked impact on reducing prevalence, equivalent to that of infant immunisation. Conclusion: We have developed a high-resolution picture of HBV epidemiology across Africa. Developing insights into regional differences provides an evidence base for the most effective interventions. In combination with robust neonatal immunisation programmes, testing and treating infection is likely to be of most impact in making advances towards elimination targets.