Hepatitis B serosurvey to validate the achievement of regional hepatitis B control targets in Belarus

Abstract

Belarus conducted a representative, national hepatitis B serosurvey to evaluate the impact of hepatitis B vaccination programme. We used a multi-stage cluster design to select 3783 children born between 2009 and 2015. We collected demographic and immunization data, as well as venous blood samples, which were analysed for HBsAg by ELISA. Out of 2870 participants with valid test results, one tested positive for HBsAg, resulting in a weighted seroprevalence of 0.02% (one-sided 95% upper bound = 0.09%). Of the 3731/3783 (99%) participants with immunization records, 86.8% (95% CI: 84.8; 88.6) had received a timely birth dose of hepatitis B vaccine and 85.6% (95% CI: 83.5; 87.4) had received a birth dose and at least two subsequent doses of the vaccine. This study findings demonstrated the achievement of the regional hepatitis B control targets and significant progress toward the elimination of hepatitis B as a public health threat in Belarus.