Revealing Hepatitis B Virus as a Silent Killer: A Call-to-Action for Saudi Arabia.

Mohammed Alghamdi,Suha Sulimani,Adel Qutub,Abdullah A Khathlan,Mohammed A Quaiz,Ahmed Aljedai,Nasser A Masri,Abdullah S Alghamdi,Ghadi Subahi,Faisal Sanai

doi:10.7759/cureus.14811

Abstract

Background: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) was the first country in the Middle East to adopt the hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine. Despite an expanded HBV immunization program and significant progress in HBV prevention in the country, HBV infection is a significant public health burden. This review lists coordinated solutions for healthcare stakeholders, patients, and health authorities to curb HBV and its impact in KSA. It further aims to draw policymakers’ attention to key priorities to bridge HBV care gaps in the country.Methods: As part of the pre-engagement activity, medical experts across KSA were interviewed to gain a preliminary understanding of the current unmet needs in HBV management in the country. Top-recommended action points derived from the pre-engagement activity were discussed. Key priority action points to curb the impact of HBV in KSA were identified.Results: The priority action points together with the challenges and unmet needs in the management and care of HBV in KSA were: (a) establish a national-level registry, (b) implement screening campaigns, (c) improve linkage of care between primary care physicians (PCPs) and specialists, and (d) increase PCP education and awareness.Conclusion: This work is an endeavor to set the stage for a strategic policy framework aimed at eliminating HBV in KSA. The action points/steps for the identified priorities must run parallelly across various regions in KSA, to successfully manage and further eliminate the threat of HBV.

Highlights

Viral hepatitis is the seventh leading cause of death in the world, with hepatitis B virus (HBV) being the most widespread viral hepatitis infection [1]
According to World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, globally in 2015, 257 million people were living with HBV infection, 71 million with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, and 36.7 million with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection [2]
The study further identified four primary challenges or unmet needs for HBV care management in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)

Summary

Introduction

Viral hepatitis is the seventh leading cause of death in the world, with hepatitis B virus (HBV) being the most widespread viral hepatitis infection [1]. In 2015, viral hepatitis caused 1.34 million deaths worldwide, mostly from HBV infection, which is higher than the number of global deaths due to HIV infection (1.1 million) [3]. The objective is a 90% reduction in new chronic infections and a 65% reduction in deaths due to viral hepatitis [5]. This necessitates reducing the number of HBV infections to less than 1 million from 6 to 10 million infections currently, as well as reducing HBV-related deaths to 500,000 from 1.4 million by 2030 [6]. It further aims to draw policymakers’ attention to key priorities to bridge HBV care gaps in the country

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion