WHO will launch its new 2024 global hepatitis B (HBV) guidelines at the APASL (Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver) annual meeting in Kyoto, Japan, on 30 March 2024.
The new guidelines include recommendations on expanded criteria for treatment eligibility and for use of antivirals in prevention of mother-to-child transmission, use of point-of-care HBV DNA assays and reflex HBV DNA testing, who to test and how to test for Delta virus infection, and key good practice principles for HBV service delivery.
For each of the 11 topics with new or updated recommendations, the recommendations will be presented with key supporting evidence base, rationale for recommendations, implementation considerations, and research gaps. Additional short presentations and panel discussion will address implications of implementing these recommendations in different regions, and the role and perspectives of civil society.
Agenda
Part 1: New hepatitis B guidelines
Introduction
New WHO hepatitis B guidance on expanded simplified treatment criteria, diagnostic innovations and service delivery recommendations evidence-base and rationale
Community perspectives on implementation
Q & A
Part 2: Implementation challenges and opportunities across the region
Regional overview of current HBV response in South-East Asia and the Western Pacific Region
Panel discussion: perspectives from countries on new guideline recommendations