Developing strategies to improve surveillance of hepatitis B virus in Australia

Hepatitis B is a major global public health problem and the WHO has endorsed a strategy to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030. The aim of this thesis is to identify opportunities to strengthen the Australian and global response to hepatitis B. The results highlight several limitations including low levels of knowledge among GPs, the need for harmonisation in laboratory testing, and limited capacity for surveillance systems to monitor prevalence or disease outcomes. Several recommendations were identified including the need for new strategies for testing and diagnosis, linkage to and engagement in care and disease surveillance.