World Hepatitis Day Research Topics Highlight Gaps in Diagnosis, Treatment Access, and Pediatric Elimination of Viral Hepatitis
核心洞察
Viral hepatitis (搜索) causes over one million deaths annually from cirrhosis (搜索) and hepatocellular carcinoma (搜索), underscoring its persistent global health burden.
Large proportions of undiagnosed chronic hepatitis B (搜索) and C infections, limited direct-acting antiviral access, and rising MASLD/MASH burden impede the WHO 2030 elimination targets.
A parallel pediatric-focused initiative emphasizes mother-to-child transmission prevention, birth-dose vaccination, and emerging opportunities to diagnose and treat hepatitis C (搜索) in children and adolescents.
Viral hepatitis (搜索) remains a leading cause of liver-related morbidity and mortality worldwide, accounting for over a million deaths annually from cirrhosis (搜索) and hepatocellular carcinoma (搜索). Despite the existence of effective vaccines for hepatitis A and B, and curative antiviral therapies for hepatitis C (搜索), the global elimination of viral hepatitis continues to face major challenges. Persistent gaps in diagnosis—especially the large proportion of undiagnosed chronic hepatitis B (搜索) and C infections—impede timely treatment initiation, while limited access to direct-acting antivirals (搜索) and the rising burden of metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (搜索) (MASLD/MASH) compound the complexity of patient care.
Two coordinated Research Topics, launched in recognition of World Hepatitis Day, seek to bridge the gap between basic research, clinical application, and public health policy by organizing contributions around the World Health Organization (WHO) elimination cascade of prevention, diagnosis, linkage to care, treatment, and post-cure surveillance.
Advancing Diagnosis, Treatment, and Elimination Strategies
The first Research Topic emphasizes the need to integrate innovative diagnostic tools, point-of-care technologies, and population-level interventions to achieve the WHO's 2030 elimination targets. Researchers are encouraged to explore novel biomarkers and non-invasive diagnostics that can enhance early detection across diverse populations, as well as to synthesize evidence on real-world antiviral outcomes, resistance patterns, and long-term surveillance strategies for cirrhosis (搜索) and hepatocellular carcinoma (搜索) after cure.
The collection further aims to investigate functional cure strategies for hepatitis B (搜索), optimize therapeutic approaches for hepatitis D (搜索), and analyze the intersections of viral hepatitis (搜索) with MASLD/MASH and alcohol-associated liver disease. Importantly, the Topic highlights interventions that improve access to screening and treatment in low-resource and marginalized settings.
A distinctive emphasis is placed on emerging areas that determine whether existing tools actually reach patients: implementation science, simplified and decentralized care pathways, and micro-elimination programs that achieve measurable elimination within a defined population or setting—such as prisons, dialysis units, opioid substitution clinics, birth cohorts, or single city districts.
The Topic welcomes articles addressing novel diagnostic and non-invasive screening tools for HBV, HCV, and HDV, including point-of-care and decentralized testing that closes the diagnostic gap in routine service conditions; real-world outcomes and resistance patterns with direct-acting antivirals (搜索); HBV functional cure research and HDV treatment advances; co-infection and disease overlap with MASLD/MASH and alcohol-associated liver disease; health disparities and access barriers in low-resource settings; micro-elimination programs including design, evaluation, cost-effectiveness, scale-up, and lessons from programs that did not succeed; implementation science and simplified care pathways, including task-shifting, same-day test-and-treat, and strategies that reduce loss to follow-up between diagnosis, treatment initiation, and cure confirmation; long-term surveillance and hepatocellular carcinoma (搜索) risk post-treatment; vaccination coverage and maternal–child transmission prevention; and pediatric hepatitis control and immunization implementation strategies.
Achieving Viral Hepatitis Elimination in Children
A parallel Special Research Topic focuses on the maternal–child continuum, noting that while global elimination efforts have primarily targeted adult populations, children and adolescents continue to face important barriers to prevention, diagnosis, and access to care. Achieving the WHO goal of eliminating viral hepatitis (搜索) as a public health threat by 2030 will require greater attention to pediatric populations.
Mother-to-child transmission remains a leading source of chronic hepatitis B (搜索) infection worldwide, highlighting the critical importance of antenatal screening, timely birth-dose vaccination, and preventive interventions during pregnancy and delivery. At the same time, growing opportunities to diagnose and treat pediatric hepatitis C (搜索) have created new possibilities for reducing the long-term burden of liver disease in children and adolescents.
The Special Research Topic aims to bring together clinicians, researchers, public health experts, and policymakers to explore current advances and remaining challenges across pregnancy, infancy, childhood, and adolescence. Submission themes include prevention of mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B (搜索) and hepatitis C (搜索); antenatal screening, maternal management, and perinatal interventions; birth-dose vaccination strategies and immunization program implementation; epidemiology and global burden of pediatric viral hepatitis (搜索); advances in diagnostic approaches and case finding; pediatric hepatitis B and C treatment and long-term outcomes; novel antiviral therapies; healthcare delivery models and linkage-to-care strategies; health disparities and global inequities; public health policies and implementation science; hepatitis in vulnerable, migrant, and underserved pediatric populations; long-term liver health and transition from pediatric to adult care; psychosocial and quality-of-life outcomes; and economic evaluations and health systems approaches.
Persistent Barriers to Elimination
Across both initiatives, uneven resource distribution, the stigma surrounding infection, and emerging viral resistance patterns underscore the need for a coordinated research and policy response. Recent studies highlight a pressing need to integrate innovative diagnostic tools, point-of-care technologies, and population-level interventions to meet the WHO's 2030 elimination targets. By highlighting advances in prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and public health implementation, these Research Topics aim to support global efforts to eliminate viral hepatitis (搜索) and improve health outcomes for children, adolescents, and adults worldwide.