Albania and Armenia have reached the hepatitis B control targets set out in the Regional Action Plans for Ending AIDS and the Epidemics of Viral Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections 2022–2030.
This important achievement was validated by the European Technical Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (ETAGE), following an assessment of country reports and recommendations from the ETAGE Working Group on Hepatitis B at its sixth meeting on 10 April 2026.
Hepatitis B can cause lifelong infection and serious complications, including cirrhosis and liver cancer. Preventing infection early in life is therefore critical. Through high vaccination coverage and measures to prevent transmission from mother to child, including timely birth-dose vaccination, Albania and Armenia are protecting children from the long-term consequences of the virus.
Country serosurveys showed that more than 20 years of sustained hepatitis B vaccination has led to the elimination of hepatitis B among children aged 6–8 years. No children tested positive for the hepatitis B virus surface antigen, corresponding to an estimated prevalence of 0%.
Marking an important milestone
On 6 October 2026, the WHO Country Office in Armenia held a ceremony to mark the handover of the certificate of validation of hepatitis B control targets to Ms Anahit Avanesyan, Minister of Health of the Republic of Armenia.
Caption: From left to right: Françoise Jacob, UN Resident Coordinator in Armenia; Anahit Avanesyan, Minister of Health of Armenia; Dr Siddhartha Datta, WHO Representative in Armenia; and Ghassan Khalil, UNICEF Representative in Armenia. Credit: WHO.
Albania and Armenia join Belarus, Georgia, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, the Netherlands (Kingdom of the), the Republic of Moldova, Turkmenistan, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Uzbekistan, which had previously been validated as reaching the hepatitis B control targets in 2021–2023.
WHO applauds the commitment and dedication of immunization programmes in all countries to achieve a high level of protection from hepatitis B and its long-term consequences in their populations born after the introduction of universal hepatitis B vaccination. Countries use different strategies for vaccination and the prevention of perinatal transmission of hepatitis B based on their national context and are supported by WHO/Europe in validating the achievement of the control targets. Each country that reaches these targets represents progress not only in preventing hepatitis B infections but also in reducing the number of people and families affected by liver disease and liver cancer.
Together, these achievements bring the WHO European Region closer to the goal of eliminating viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030.