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Hepatitis Awareness Month --- May 2006
May 2006 marks the 11th anniversary of Hepatitis Awareness Month. In the United States, one of three persons has
been infected with hepatitis A virus (HAV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), or hepatitis C virus (HCV)
(1).
HAV is spread by close contact with infected persons or through contaminated food. Since the introduction of hepatitis
A vaccines in 1995, reports of hepatitis A have declined 84% (CDC, unpublished data, 2004).
HBV and HCV are spread by blood or sexual contact. In 2004, an estimated 60,000 new HBV infections and 26,000
new HCV infections occurred (CDC, unpublished data, 2004). In 1991, CDC adopted a national vaccination strategy to
eliminate HBV transmission in the United States. Since then, acute hepatitis B has declined
75%, with the highest incidence remaining among adults.
Approximately 5%--25% of persons with chronic HBV and HCV infection will die prematurely from cirrhosis and
liver cancer. Approximately 1 million persons in the United States have chronic HBV infection, and 3 million have chronic
HCV infection (1; CDC unpublished data, 2004). Although
effective therapies for viral hepatitis are available, the majority
of persons with chronic HCV infection are unaware of their infection
(1).
This issue of MMWR reports on the prevalence of chronic HBV infection among Asian/Pacific Islander populations
in New York City and progress to eliminate HBV transmission through vaccination of adults.
Additional information regarding hepatitis and Hepatitis Awareness Month is available at
http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis.
Reference
Kim RW, Brown RS, Terault NA, El-Serag H. Burden of liver
disease in the United States: summary of a workshop. Hepatology 2002;36:227--42.
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Department of Health and Human Services. CDC is not responsible for the content
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