New Recommendations Help Identify Hepatitis B

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today published enhanced recommendations for the screening and testing for Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infection.

As of March 10, 2023, the CDC confirms universal screening of adults for HBV infection is cost-effective compared with risk-based screening and averts liver disease, cirrhosis, and death.

Furthermore, chronic HBV infection is detectable using reliable and inexpensive screening tests.

In addition, although not quantifiable, management of chronic infection through prevention efforts can prevent further transmission to others.

These recommendations consider a more straightforward and less stigmatizing implementation strategy than previous risk-based HBV screening recommendations, says the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

The CDC's new recommendations also provide guidance complementary to the 2022 recommendations to vaccinate all adults aged 19–59 years against HBV infection by providing a means to establish immunity, any history of infection, or the need for vaccination to protect from future infection. 

Previously, on February 23, 2022, the CDC's Hepatitis Vaccines Work Group presented an HVB vaccine update.

The CDC says effective vaccines to prevent hepatitis B are available in the U.S.