Change in the Epidemiological Profile of Hepatitis B in Brazil

Abstract

Infection caused by hepatitis B virus (HBV) is an important public health problem and can progress with death from cirrhosis and liver cancer. In 2017 it has been 21 years since the universal vaccination against HBV has been introduced in Brazil. The objectives are to analyze the reports of hepatitis B virus infection in the Brazilian public health system between 2010 and 2015 and to calculate incidence and prevalence of the hepatitis B virus infection. The methods are observational, descriptive, and cross-sectional epidemiological study of reports of hepatitis B infection in children under 20 years of age in Brazil between 2010 and 2015. There were 4275 cases in Brazil. The prevalence was 6.49 cases/100,000 inhabitants. The age group with the highest number of notifications in Brazil was from 15 to 19 years old (68.58%). The incidence dropped significantly in 2015, and the occurrences were predominant in females. The Amazon region presented the highest number of occurrences, annual incidence, and prevalence. The form of transmission was ignored in almost half of the cases, and the most reported form of transmission in Brazil was the sexual transmission. The most common coinfection was with the hepatitis delta virus (1.87%). Chronic hepatitis was the most prevalent clinical form. The prevalence and incidence of hepatitis B virus in children under 20 years of age showed a marked and progressive decrease, which indicates the efficacy of the vaccine. The form of sexual infection in adolescents reinforces the need for policies aimed at the prevention of sexually transmitted infections.