Rajinder M Joshi
After the availability and wide spread administration of the Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B Virus vaccines, Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) has recently emerged globally as the leading cause of acute hepatitis with jaundice. Although the recombinant vaccines were initiated for HEV about two decades back the results could not be concluded due to various constraints. A pioneer recombinant vaccine (Hecolin) developed and tried over the last couple of years in China has not only shown promising results but has also given impetus for global development of such vaccines for the HEV. It is hoped that recombinant vaccines if combined with other public health measures will play a significant role in not only controlling the HEV epidemics in the developing countries but also help in reducing the sporadic infections in the developed world.