Networking for Overcoming on Viral Hepatitis in Middle East and Central Asia: Asian Hepatitis Network

Chronic liver disease is an important health challenge in the world, where hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections are the main causes of liver insufficiency. HBV infection is a serious global health problem, with two billion people infected worldwide, and 350 million suffering from chronic HBV infection. Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) affects more than 400 million people globally, ofwhom 75% are Asians (I). Hepatitis B infection is the l Oth leading cause of death worldwide, and results in 500,000 to 1.2 million deaths per year caused by chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). HCC accounts for 320,000 deaths per year (2). The prevalence of chronic HBV infection varies geographically, from high (>8%), intermediate (2- 7%) to low (<2%) prevalence (3)