ABSTRACT
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a global health problem. Approximately 350-400 million people worldwide are chronic carriers of the virus. HBV is a bloodborne pathogen and prevalent in Asia, Africa, southern Europe, and Latin America, where the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) carriage rate in the general population ranges from 2 to 20%. The infection of HBV can cause acute or chronic liver diseases or asymptomatic carrier. Acute infection, which is nearly 90% self-limited, results in acute hepatitis and rarely fulminant hepatitis. On the contrary, chronic infection of HBV has a high risk leading to development of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
