Principal investigators: Dr. Hailemichael Desalegn and Dr. Asgeir Johannessen

Locations: St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa

Description: In 2015, we established a treatment program for chronic hepatitis B in Addis Ababa, using a modified version of the European HBV guidelines. More than 1300 patients were enrolled and have been followed up since, of whom approximately 300 have received antiviral therapy. This program has given rise to numerous scientific publications and two Ethiopian PhD theses. In 2021/22, we initiated a scale-up program at four hospitals outside the capital, in close collaboration with the MoH. In this program we use a simplified treatment protocol, based on data from sub-Saharan Africa. We aim to enrol 6000 patients in this scale-up program and validate a simplified approach to hepatitis B treatment and care.