Devex: Why is hepatitis B vaccine coverage at birth so low in many African countries?
“More children are receiving the hepatitis B vaccine today, but coverage, especially at birth, remains uneven across regions. Coverage of the first critical dose, which the World Health Organization says should be given within 24 hours from birth, is only at 43% globally. The proportion is even lower when broken down regionally, with only 6% in the countries that are part of the WHO regional office for Africa…” (Ravelo, 7/28).

U.N. News: Spread of hepatitis B in children under five, lowest in decades: WHO
“The global prevalence of potentially deadly hepatitis B in children under age five dropped to under one percent in 2019 — down from five percent in the pre-vaccine decades between the 1980s and early 2000s, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Monday…” (7/27).