TABLE 1.

HBV elimination in Europe: Key points

Estimated burden of HBV infection across the EU/EEA is high with viral hepatitis–specific deaths exceeding those attributed to HIV or tuberculosis

Considerable variation in burden across countries and between different risk groups

Effective prevention against hepatitis B through vaccination is widely available, but suboptimal coverage in many countries with only half of all countries reaching the 95% elimination target

Data relating to strategies to reduce mother-to-child transmission also highlight a need for more complete reporting with gaps in the data and for further scaling up in some countries

Data around diagnosis is also incomplete but indicate that a high proportion of cases remain undiagnosed and barriers to testing, such as out-of-pocket cost and a lack of point-of-care tests, still exist

Barriers around scaling up treatment also remain with treatment often only available in hospital settings and restrictions in access to treatment for migrant populations or people who inject drugs in some countries