An estimated 300 million people live globally with chronic infection due to hepatitis B virus (HBV); about 862,000 of these individuals live in the U.S.1,2 Although most adults who contract HBV clear the infection and go on to live without symptoms, some develop long-lasting infections which places them at greater risk of developing liver diseases or dying. Young children are particularly vulnerable, even though HBV is preventable with vaccination. When mothers pass the virus to their newborns, or when children younger than 6 years old acquire HBV, 90% of these cases become chronic.1
