Hepatitis B Foundation President Dr. Chari Cohen is quoted in a powerful new story about hepatitis B in The New Yorker. You can read it here.

The hepatitis B vaccine’s value and necessity

A statement from Hepatitis B Foundation President Chari A. Cohen, DrPH, MPH

Feb. 4, 2025

The hepatitis B vaccine has saved millions of lives in the past 40 years. It is safe, effective and the world’s first anti-cancer vaccine.

Hepatitis B is the world’s leading cause of liver cancer and is a preventable virus that kills more than 1 million people each year. For most people, the virus has no symptoms, which makes it very easy to spread. As the first anti-cancer vaccine, the hepatitis B vaccine plays an invaluable role in helping children and adults lead long, healthy lives.

There is no doubt as to the effectiveness of this vaccine. Since 1980, more than 1 billion doses of the vaccine have been administered. Prior to the universal infant hepatitis B vaccination recommendation in 1991, nearly 18,000 children in the U.S. were infected each year before they reached the age of 10 – and half of these children were infected during childbirth. With universal birth dose and infant vaccination, childhood and adolescent hepatitis B infections have dramatically decreased by 95%.

Infants and children who are exposed to hepatitis B have a 90% chance of developing a life-long chronic hepatitis B infection, carrying with them the burden of potential liver complications and/or liver failure, and a greatly increased lifetime risk of liver cancer. In fact, without treatment, the risk of developing liver cancer for someone infected with hepatitis B at birth is as high as the risk of developing lung cancer for someone who smokes a pack of cigarettes a day. Dr. Baruch S. Blumberg, Nobel Laureate and co-founder of the Hepatitis B Foundation, developed the first-ever hepatitis B vaccine in 1969 alongside his colleague Dr. Irving Millman. Their invention will have saved over 40 million lives by 2030.

Vaccines are held to the highest standards of safety, are rigorously studied, and are among the safest things we put into our bodies. We must remain committed to preventing future generations from this deadly virus. Every person should know the facts - and the facts are that the hepatitis B vaccine is safe and saves lives.

The Hepatitis B Foundation will continue to provide evidence-based information, and highlight the importance of preventing hepatitis B, protecting critical public health and immunization infrastructure, and ensuring that all babies, children and adults have access to this lifesaving vaccine.

Chari A. Cohen, DrPH, MPH

President, Hepatitis B Foundation