| Popis: |
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection causes both acute and chronic hepatitis and is a major global health problem. Worldwide, it is estimated that 50 million new HBV infections occur annually, and approximately 350-400 million people are chronically HBV-infected [1-2]. In parts of Asia and Africa, as many as 7-20% of people are chronically infected with HBV, i.e. are chronic HBV `carriers’ [3]. In North America and northern Europe, HBV chronic carrier rates are much lower, usually below 1%. Intermediate HBV carrier rates of 1 to 7% are found in southern and eastern Europe, parts of central and South America, the Middle East, and parts of Japan [4]. It has been estimated that, worldwide, more than 1 million people die annually due to HBV-related end-stage disease manifestations such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) [4]. |
