Table 2.6. Number and rates* of newly reported cases^† of chronic hepatitis B virus infection, by demographic characteristics — United States, 2019

During 2019, the rate of newly reported chronic hepatitis B was highest among persons aged 30–49 years and accounted for 47% of all chronic hepatitis B cases reported during 2019. Approximately 89% of all newly reported chronic hepatitis B cases occurred in urban areas, as defined by the National Center for Health Statistics, and approximately one-third were reported from US Department of Health and Humans Services Region 4 (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee).

Although the rate of reported acute hepatitis B among Asian/Pacific Islander persons (Figure 2.6) was the lowest among all racial/ethnicity groups, the rate of newly reported chronic hepatitis B was highest among Asian/Pacific Islander persons (18.9 reported cases per 100,000 population) >10 times the rate among non-Hispanic White persons. Because the majority of prevalent chronic hepatitis B virus infections in the United States are among persons who are non–US-born, differences in the rates of newly reported chronic hepatitis B by race/ethnicity are likely influenced by country of birth. However, country of birth is not routinely collected in National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System.