WHO Regional Office for Europe (WHO/Europe) news release
Albania and Armenia have reached the hepatitis B control targets set out in the Regional Action Plans for Ending AIDS and the Epidemics of Viral Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections 2022–2030.
This important achievement was validated by the European Technical Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (ETAGE), following an assessment of country reports and recommendations from the ETAGE Working Group on Hepatitis B at its sixth meeting on 10 April 2026.
Hepatitis B can cause lifelong infection and serious complications, including cirrhosis and liver cancer. Preventing infection early in life is therefore critical. Through high vaccination coverage and measures to prevent transmission from mother to child, including timely birth-dose vaccination, Albania and Armenia are protecting children from the long-term consequences of the virus.
Country serosurveys showed that more than 20 years of sustained hepatitis B vaccination has led to the elimination of hepatitis B among children aged 6–8 years. No children tested positive for the hepatitis B virus surface antigen, corresponding to an estimated prevalence of 0%.
Read the full news release here.
Source: www.eatg.org
