A NEW point-of-care fingerstick test detects hepatitis B virus (HBV) within one hour, a 2026 diagnostic study has found.
The accuracy and reliability of the Xpert HBV Viral Load test, using fingerstick capillary blood samples, matched less accessible and more expensive and time-consuming routine tests.
HBV
The WHO aims to eliminate HBV as a public health threat by 2030. It aims to diagnose 90% of people living with chronic HBV and 80% of those eligible for antiviral therapy on treatment.
In 2022, of an estimated near 260 million people living with chronic HBV infection, only 14% had been diagnosed and 8% of those eligible were receiving treatment.
HBV DNA testing remains sub-optimal in most countries and the WHO has recognised it as a major gap in the HBV care pathway.