The impact of the timely birth-dose vaccine on the global elimination of hepatitis B

Abstract Scaling-up timely hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination to 90% of new-borns in 110 low- and middle-income countries by 2030 could prevent 770,000 (600,000–1,060,000) deaths in the 2020 to 2030 birth cohorts compared to status quo, with the greatest benefits in Africa. Maintaining this could lead to elimination by 2032 in the Americas, but not before 2059 in Africa. Drops in coverage due to disruptions in 2020 may lead to 17,000 additional deaths, mostly in South-East Asia and the Western Pacific. Delays in planned scale-up could lead to an additional 630,000 deaths globally in the 2020 to 2030 birth cohorts.