Hepatitis B vaccination is now part of the childhood immunisation schedule and is recommended for all children. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates more than one third of the world's population have been infected with hepatitis B virus. Most have recovered, but there are around 350 million chronic carriers of the hepatitis B virus. This is about 5% of the world's population. About a quarter of these carriers will develop serious liver disease, including chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis (scarring), and cancer. The WHO estimates that hepatitis B infection results in more than one million deaths every year.
