— Christine M. Kukka, Project Manager, HBV Advocate
In the recently published Institute of Medicine's
Committee on the Prevention and Control of Viral Hepatitis Infection's
national strategy for prevention and control of hepatitis B and C book,
experts included an overview of hepatitis B's impact on Americans'
health.
- About 3.5% to 5.3% of people in the U.S. live with chronic hepatitis B or C, with up to 1.4 million infected with HBV.
- Viral hepatitis is 3- to 5-times more prevalent in the U.S. than HIV infection.
- About 65% of people infected with HBV are unaware of their infection.
- About 43,000 new acute hepatitis B infections occur each year, despite the availablity of a safe an effective vaccine.
- About 1,000 infants acquire HBV from their
infected mothers each year, despite availability of immediate
immunization to prevent mother-to-child infection.
- African-Americans have the highest rate of new
HBV infections, with most occurring in the South, where immunization
rates are lower.
- Immigrants from Asia and the Pacific Islands make up the largest foreign-born population at risk for chronic hepatitis B.
- Every year, an estimated 40,000 to 45,000 of HBV-infected people enter the United States legally.
Source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK220035/
Source: HBV Journal Review: August 1, 2014, Vol 11, no 8
Labels: health impact, infection rates in US, statistics
