Long-Term Epidemiology of Hepatitis B and Impact of Vaccination in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Serbia: A Population-Based Study.

ABSTRACT: This retrospective population-based study aimed to update the epidemiology of hepatitis B in Vojvodina, Serbia, and assess the impact of vaccination on acute and chronic forms of the disease. Surveillance data from 1978 to 2024 were analyzed by period, age/sex, and geographic distribution. Joinpoint and Poisson regression analyses were used to evaluate long-term trends in hepatitis B incidence and mortality rates and the vaccine-coverage effects, respectively. A decreasing trend in both acute and chronic hepatitis B incidence and mortality was observed over the study period. The average incidence rate declined from 11.51/100,000 in the pre-immunization period (1978-1987) to 1.68/100,000 during the universal immunization period (2006-2024). For chronic hepatitis B, the average incidence rat

SUBMITTER: Pustahija T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12654862 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature