The Viral Hepatitis Prevention Board (VHPB) is an international board of experts in viral hepatitis, offering a platform for dissemination of scientific infromation related to viral hepatitis. Board members meet twice a year to discuss technical and country specific issues. The Board has a permanent scientific secretariat, located at the Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination (CEV) of the University of Antwerp.

Focus audiences are, in first instance, opinion leaders, policymakers, and health care professionals.

Mission statement

The objective of the VHPB is to contribute to the control and prevention of all viral hepatitides:

1. by drawing the attention to this important public health problem
2. by issuing prevention guidance and catalyse the development of recommendations
3. by encouraging actions to improve control and prevention.

VHPB has, in support of its main objective, a wide range of actions, including the following:

1. To monitor and evaluate the currently implemented immunisation programmes.
2. To bring together, during VHPB meetings, an international forum of specialists to examine, discuss, and judge on specific topics, closely related with the control and prevention of viral hepatitis.
3. To produce and distribute a number of publications, including Viral Hepatitis newsletter, a short reports of VHPB meetings.
4. To provide guidance and catalyse the development of viral hepatitis control and prevention recommendations/ guidelines for the health care workers and policymakers.
5. To closely collaborate with international agencies dealing with control and prevention of viral hepatitis (World Health Organisation, Centres of Disease Control and Prevention, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Bill and Melinda Gates Children's Vaccine Program, European Commission, and Non Governmental Organisations) in order to maximise the impact of the efforts.
6. To organise international meetings to facilitate the introduction of immunisation programmes.
7. To promote the implementation of WHO recommendations on viral hepatitis control and prevention.
8. To assist implementation of national plans of action for the introduction of vaccines.