DISTINGUISHED expert panel members,
RESPECTED COLLEAGUES,
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.
Good morning. Welcome to Tagaytay and to the Hepatitis B Expert Resource Panel Consultation.
As you know, Western Pacific Region has made a bold commitment and has achieved substantial progress in combating chronic hepatitis B infection.
Strong vaccination efforts have led to a dramatic drop in chronic infection rates among children in this Region from a staggering 8% to 10% to close to 2%.
However, we still have work to do as nine countries — including five non-Pacific island countries – will not meet our regional milestone of reducing chronic infection rates to less than 2% by 2012.
Last year’s Technical Advisory Group meeting on Immunization and Vaccine-preventable Diseases in the Western Pacific Region recommended that the Region’s Hepatitis B Expert Resource Panel increase its role in facilitating regional hepatitis B control.
I encourage your efforts and innovative thinking as well as your work to ensure that the panel has the range of professional and geographic expertise needed to address the needs in this Region.
The nine countries that will not meet the 2012 milestone present the greatest challenges.
These countries need to increase vaccination coverage to prevent ongoing transmission and chronic hepatitis B infection among neonates, infants and children.
This may require a renewed commitment and awareness of hepatitis B control.
I am looking forward to your guidance and expert advice on how to best support these countries, and how to increase the momentum and motivation needed to reach the next stage of hepatitis B prevention.
I note that you will also take time during this consultation to review country data and progress towards regional milestones and goals.
Your efforts are critical to ensure a transparent and objective process by which countries will be evaluated.
As the first region to adopt a hepatitis B control goal, your work has been noticed around the world.
It will provide the international community with standards and with evidence of the feasibility of global hepatitis B prevention.
With this ambitious agenda, I would like to thank you for your dedication to public health and wish you a successful and fruitful meeting.
Thank you.