Table 1a. Reported number and rate per 100,000 population of cases of acute, symptomatic, viral hepatitis, by type and year, United States, 1966-2008

Hepatitis A
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis C
Year No. Rate No. Rate No. Rate
1966
32859
16.8
1497
0.8
—†
—†
1967
38909
19.7
2458
1.3
—†
—†
1968
45893
23.0
4829
2.5
—†
—†
1969
48416
24.0
5909
3.0
—†
—†
1970
56797
27.9
8310
4.1
—†
—†
1971
59606
28.9
9556
4.7
—†
—†
1972
54074
26.0
9402
4.5
—†
—†
1973
50749
24.2
8451
4.0
—†
—†
1974
40358
19.5
10631
5.2
—†
—†
1975
35855
16.8
13121
6.3
—†
—†
1976
33288
15.5
14973
7.1
—†
—†
1977
31153
14.4
16831
7.8
—†
—†
1978
29500
13.5
15016
6.9
—†
—†
1979
30407
13.8
15452
7.0
—†
—†
1980
29087
12.8
19015
8.4
—†
—†
1981
25802
11.3
21152
9.2
—†
—†
1982
23403
10.1
22177
9.6
2,629§
1.1§
1983
21532
9.2
24318
10.4
3,470§
1.5§
1984
22040
9.3
26115
11.1
3,871§
1.6§
1985¶
23257
10.0
26654
11.5
4,192§
1.8§
1986¶
23430
10.0
26107
11.2
3,634§
1.6§
1987
25280
10.4
25916
10.7
2,999§
1.2§
1988
28507
11.6
23177
9.4
2,619§
1.1§
1989
35821
14.4
23419
9.4
2,529§
1.0§
1990
31441
12.6
21102
8.5
2,553§
1.0§
1991
24378
9.7
18003
7.1
3,582§
1.4§
1992
23112
9.1
16126
6.3
6010
2.4
1993
24238
9.4
13361
5.2
4786
1.9
1994
26796
10.3
12517
4.8
4470
1.8
1995
31582
12.0
10805
4.1
4576
1.7
1996
31032
11.7
10637
4.0
3716
1.4
1997
30021
11.2
10416
3.9
3816
1.4
1998
23229
8.6
10258
3.8
3518
1.3
1999
17047
6.3
7694
2.8
3111
1.1
2000
13397
4.8
8036
2.9
3197
1.1
2001
10615
3.7
7844
2.8
1,640**
0.7**
2002
8795
3.1
8064
2.8
1,223 ††
0.5 ††
2003
7653
2.6
7526
2.6
891††
0.3 ††
2004
5683
1.9
6212
2.1
758
0.3
2005
4488
1.5
5494
1.8
694
0.2
2006
3579
1.2
4,713§§
1.6§§
802
0.3
2007¶¶
2979
1.0
4519
1.5
849
0.3
2008¶¶
2585
0.9
4,033***
1.3***
878***
0.3

Source: National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System, 1966-2008.

† Non-A, non-B hepatitis became a reportable disease in 1982.
§Numbers and rates shown for hepatitis C/ Non-A, non-B hepatitis were unreliable, reflecting the erroneous reporting of chronically infected persons as acute cases that occurred when testing for antibody to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) first became widely available.
¶ Excludes cases from New York City; data not available for 1985 – 1986. **Excludes cases from New Jersey and Missouri.
†† Excludes cases from Missouri.
§§ Excludes cases from Arizona.
¶¶ Excludes cases from the District of Columbia;
data not available for 2007 – 2008.
***Excludes cases from Delaware.

In 2008, a total of 2,585 acute, symptomatic cases of hepatitis A were reported nationwide. The overall incidence rate of 0.9 cases per 100,000 population was the lowest ever recorded.