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Notice to Readers: National Hepatitis Awareness Month --- May 2001
May is National Hepatitis Awareness Month. Hepatitis A, B, and C are the
most common types of viral hepatitis in the United States. Hepatitis A, a disease
transmitted through the fecal-oral route, occurs in epidemics both nationwide and in
communities. Children are often the reservoir for infection, and during epidemic years, the
number of reported cases has reached 35,000. Hepatitis A vaccine is the best
protection against hepatitis A virus infection. During the late 1990s, when hepatitis A
vaccine became more widely used, the number of cases reached historic lows.
Hepatitis B and C are both bloodborne diseases transmitted when blood or
body fluids from an infected person enter the body of a susceptible person. Both hepatitis
B and C can cause chronic infection that can lead to cirrhosis and
hepatocellular carcinoma. The number of new hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections per year has
declined from approximately 450,000 during the 1980s to approximately 80,000 in
1998. Hepatitis B vaccine is the best protection against infection with HBV. The
greatest decline in HBV infections has occurred among children and adolescents as the result
of routine hepatitis B vaccination. The number of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections
per year declined from approximately 240,000 during the 1980s to approximately
40,000 in 1998. No vaccine exists to prevent HCV infection. The infection is transmitted
most often by injection drug use. Transfusion-associated cases occurred before blood
donor screening, but currently HCV infection occurs in less than one per million
transfused units of blood. Additional information about hepatitis A, B, and C is available from
the CDC hepatitis hotline, telephone (888) 443-7232 or from CDC's Division of
Viral Hepatitis at http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis.
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