[The Conversation Africa] Hepatitis B is an infectious disease caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). Nearly 300 million people worldwide live with this virus, which resulted in an estimated 820,000 preventable deaths in 2019. The virus is most commonly spread from mother to child during birth and through contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person. Infection in infancy and early childhood leads to chronic hepatitis in about 95% of cases.
