The Library of Congress symposium on HIV and HBV was sponsored by the Kluge Center with support from the Dana Foundation and in partnership with the Hepatitis B Foundation and the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative.

To view the live webcast, visit the Library of Congress at www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc.

HBV Vaccine – The hepatitis B vaccine is safe and effective. However, it requires several injections and escape mutants that become resistant to the vaccine seem likely. Recommendation: Develop new vaccines that (a) do not require injection, and (b) provide immunity against potential vaccine escape mutants.

Epidemiology – The number of chronic HBV infections in the U.S. are underestimated by as many as 1 million individuals. Recommendation: Obtain more accurate information of the true number of infected individuals in the U.S. to ensure adequate screening and management efforts.

Co-infections – Individuals with HIV are much more likely to develop chronic HBV infection following exposure to HBV than are individuals without HIV infection. In the U.S., co-infection rates are 5-10%. In Asia and Africa, co-infection rates are 20-30%. Recommendation: Gain a better understanding as to why there is accelerated disease in co-infected individuals to help develop clearer guidelines for the care of co-infected patients.