With chronic hepatitis B under-diagnosed and under-treated in Canada, benefits plan sponsors can help close the gap with education, vaccination and detection campaigns.

“Improving access to treatment and testing is something that’s key, recognizing that if we can improve that we can prevent the complications of chronic hepatitis B,” said Jonathan Mapletoft, medical lead for the specialty care and innovation team at GSK Canada, during Benefits Canada’s 2026 Chronic Disease at Work conference.

Chronic hepatitis B is a chronic infection caused by the hepatitis B virus that significantly increases someone’s risk of liver cancer and cirrhosis. The disease affects between 250,000 to 500,000 Canadians, he said, noting researchers believe just 50 per cent of people with it have been diagnosed. In addition, he said 24 per cent of people with chronic hepatitis B are receiving treatment.

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People with the illness experience “extensive burden,” said Mapletoft, including recurring fears about transmitting the virus to their loved ones — the most common transmission of hepatitis B is from mother to child — and the mental and financial toll of life-long disease management and medical blood tests to check whether their illness has progressed to cirrhosis or cancer.

Nucleoside analogs are the first-line treatment for the disease, he said, with the medication controlling viral DNA and slowing disease progression, as well as reducing — but not entirely eliminating — cancer and cirrhosis risks. For people with the disease, that means “these are life-long treatments.” 

“There’s significant costs associated with that, if you’re taking it for decades, there’s long-term [monitoring] required . . . of how they’re responding to this treatment. And if you stop the treatment, your virus is quite likely to rebound and come back more aggressive than it was before.”

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There are challenges with routine testing, said Mapletoft, which he believes is because it isn’t fully understood which populations are more at risk. Canadians are vaccinated against hepatitis B in childhood; the illness is more common among immigrants, as it’s endemic in other countries around the world.

There may be disparities in access to care for immigrants moving to Canada, he noted, and they may also focus on other priorities, such as securing housing, a job and schooling for their children, above health care.

Mapletoft suggested that education and information about the disease, catch-up immunization campaigns and routine screenings could help to reduce transmission and identify undiagnosed cases. “[It could also] reduce the stigma associated with it, if everybody’s being screened.”

Read more coverage of the 2026 Chronic Disease at Work conference.