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Hepatitis B WHO target for the percentage of women tested

Last updated on Thursday, 20 November 2025 at 03:34pm

Summary

Topic
Hepatitis-B
Category
testing
API name
hepatitis-b_testing_coverageOfMaternalAntenatalTestingTargetWHO

Rationale

This metric shows the WHO target of at least 90% of women tested for hepatitis B virus in pregnancy. Hepatitis-B is a long-term illness. Hepatitis B screening is recommended to be offered and recommended to all women in every pregnancy. This helps to ensure that pregnant women living with hepatitis B are diagnosed and interventions are implemented to prevent transmission of hepatitis B to their children.

Definition

A WHO target of 90% of at least 90% of pregnant women being tested for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) during antenatal screening.

Methodology

This target is based on the WHO Global Health Sector Strategy on Viral Hepatitis (2022-2030) which aims to ensure at least 90% of pregnant women are tested for hepatitis B to reduce vertical transmission. In the UK national data from the NHS Infectious Diseases in Pregnancy Screening (IDPS) program are compared with this WHO target to assess progress.

Caveats

The global WHO target may not reflect all national data definitions or reporting timelines. Differences in data completeness or local screening uptake can affect comparisons. Some women may be tested outside the NHS or later in pregnancy which may not be included in the data reported.

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