A molecular epidemiological study of the hepatitis B virus in Thailand after 22 years of universal immunization

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection affects an estimated two billion people worldwide. Since 1992, Thailand implemented universal HBV vaccination as part of the expanded program on immunization (EPI) for newborns. This study aims to compare genotypes and characterize HBV by assessing pre‐S/S and basic core promoter (BCP)/precore (PC) mutations in populations born before and after EPI implementation. A nationwide serosurvey conducted in 2014 assessed the impact of universal HBV vaccination in Thailand. Two cohort groups were established based on whether they were born before or after 1992. HBV DNA was amplified from HBsAg positive samples by PCR and sequenced. HBV genotypes, pre‐S/S regions, and BCP/PC mutations were characterized. From a total of 5,964 subjects, there were 2,805 (47.0%) and 3,159 (53.0%) individuals who were born before and after EPI implementation, respectively. The overall prevalence of HBsAg was 2.2%. The prevalence of HBsAg was significantly higher in the before EPI group (4.3%) than in the after EPI group (0.3%) (P