Viral hepatitis in resource-limited countries and access to antiviral therapies: current and future challenges

Abstract

Chronic viral hepatitis is a major public health issue worldwide and mostly affects resource-limited countries. These regions combine a considerable set of barriers to containing the epidemic, including shortage of healthcare workers, poor medical infrastructures, insufficient screening and poor access to care and treatment. At a time when morbidity and mortality of chronic liver disease has been widely improved in wealthy countries by new innovative strategies and potent antiviral drugs, it is now urgent to face the challenges of better management of chronic hepatitis in resource-poor countries from the perspectives of global health and social justice.