CDC says hepatitis incidence has dropped dramatically

Since 1995, new cases of reported acute hepatitis A have declined by 88%, while the number of hepatitis B and C cases have also dropped, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said. The main factor behind the declines in new cases of hepatitis A and B was the availability of vaccines, while declines in reported new cases of hepatitis C were likely to be due to reductions in high-risk behaviors among injection drug users, according to the agency.

More than 4.5 million Americans are living with chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis C and are at serious risk for liver cirrhosis and cancer.

However, hepatitis non-profit group The Hepatitis C Caring Ambassadors Program urged people not to become complacent. Tina St John, medical director of the Caring Ambassadors Program, said: “The vast majority of people infected with the hepatitis C virus become chronically infected and many sustain serious, even life-threatening liver damage before the infection is diagnosed.

“It is critically important that people recognize chronic hepatitis C is an ongoing, substantial problem for millions of Americans.”