Overview

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a double-stranded DNA virus belonging to the family of hepadnaviruses. HBV infection is a global public health problem. It is estimated that there are more than 250 million HBV carriers in the world, of whom approximately 600,000 die annually from HBV-related liver disease. Despite the availability of HBV vaccines, the rate of HBV-related hospitalizations, cancers, and deaths in the United States have more than doubled during the past decade.