Box 1.

Patients ‘at risk’ of hepatitis B infection who the authors would advocate for testing^a

Patients from countries with intermediate (≥2%) or high (≥8%) prevalence of chronic HBV (consider in people from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Eastern and Southern Europe, and the Middle East). Patients with known HIV or hepatitis C infection. People who injects drugs (past or present). Prison inmates. Young people living in care. Immigration detainees. Contacts of HBV-infected people (sexual partners, household contacts, and children of HBV-infected mothers). Patients who have had sexual exposure (unprotected sexual contact in/or with partner from intermediate-/high-prevalence country (see above), sexual contact of person who injects drugs, men who have sex with men, or commercial sex workers). Patients who have had medical exposure (including receiving blood products in the UK before 1970, medical treatment abroad in areas of intermediate/high prevalence (see above), and recipients of a needle-stick injury if donor is HBsAg positive or has unknown HBV status). Women in social circumstances where an additional child or the pregnancy may be at risk.

^a Adapted from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.⁴ HBsAg = hepatitis B surface antigen. HBV = hepatitis B virus. HIV = human immunodeficiency virus.