New Delhi, July 29 -- Hepatitis remains one of the most critical global health challenges today. Among the five strains of hepatitis (A, B, C, D, E), the most worrying is Hepatitis B (HBV) due to its potential for chronic infection and covert transmission, especially vertical transmission (from mother to child). The WHO reports that, as of 2022, there were 254 million people chronically infected with hepatitis B, and 1.2 million new infections each year.

In the same year, hepatitis B was responsible for approximately 1.1 million deaths, primarily due to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (a major liver cancer). India has roughly 40 million cases of chronic hepatitis B infection, which poses a significant challenge for the Indian heal...