When we think about infectious diseases that have ravaged the globe, we usually think of examples like tuberculosis, malaria, and AIDS. But what if I told you that in 2015, 257 million people were living with a chronic form of this condition and almost 900,000 people died from it? You'd probably want to know what it is, right? Well, this condition is the most common liver disease in the world, and it's called hepatitis B.

Welcome to hepatitis B explained. Before we get into the specifics, let's go over some background knowledge. Hepatitis B is a life-threatening liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus or HBV. It can cause chronic infection and put people at a high risk of death from cirrhosis, or scarring of the liver, and liver cancer. Today, hepatitis B has the highest prevalence in the Western Pacific and African regions, at around 6 percent for both areas. Due to a massive uptick in vaccination, hepatitis B isn't seen frequently in North America.

[The Video Subtitled...]