hepatitis B: Quick Facts

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Last updated

Nov. 3, 2026

News •

Hepatitis B could surge, infecting millions more in childhood, under proposed CDC guidance • Oct. 27, 2026, 1:05 PM ET (Live Science)

New CDC Guidelines Could Leave Babies Vulnerable To Hepatitis B, Study Warns • Oct. 23, 2026, 6:52 AM ET (U.S. News & World Report)

Controversial US-backed vaccine trial in African newborns halted • Oct. 21, 2026, 1:18 PM ET (The Guardian)

Kennedy’s Vaccine Plan Could Cause Surge in Hepatitis B, Study Finds • Oct. 19, 2026, 5:00 PM ET (New York Times)

Facts

Also Known As	serum hepatitis

Photos and Videos

Hepatitis B virus (HBV)

Infographic showing estimated lives saved by childhood vaccinations worldwide from 1974 to 2024, with syringe-shaped bars for each disease. Measles tops the list at 93.71 million lives saved, followed by tetanus, whooping cough, and others, for a total of 153.84 million lives saved.

Gloved hands draw liquid from a vial into a syringe, overlaid on a digitally colored microscopic image of a virus with round particles in clusters.

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Topics

hepatitis B virus hepatitis B vaccine notifiable disease hepatitis hepatocellular hepatitis bloodborne disease AIDS Ebola yellow fever dengue hepatitis C viral hemorrhagic fever Rift Valley fever

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Key People

Maurice Hilleman

Maurice Hilleman

American microbiologist

Baruch S. Blumberg, 1976.

Baruch S. Blumberg

American physician

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