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Hepatitis Awareness Month --- May 2007
May 2007 marks the 12th anniversary of Hepatitis Awareness Month. This issue of
MMWR highlights public health measures to vaccinate and protect children from hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in China and to monitor the
characteristics of persons with chronic hepatitis B in San Francisco, California.
Worldwide, 370 million persons have chronic HBV
infection, and 500,000--700,000 persons die annually from
HBV-related liver disease; approximately 75% of HBV infections occur in Asia (World Health Organization, unpublished
data, 2006). In the United States, approximately half of the 1 million persons with chronic HBV infection are
Asians/Pacific Islanders, most of whom became infected with HBV before arriving in the United States, including many who
remain unaware of their infection (1). The HBV-related death rate among
Asians/Pacific Islanders is seven times greater than the
rate among whites (CDC, unpublished data, 2007).
Persons with chronic HBV infection are at risk for premature death from liver cirrhosis and cancer. Hepatitis B
vaccination of infants worldwide will protect successive generations from chronic HBV infection and associated liver disease.
Persons already infected with HBV can benefit from HBV screening, care, and treatment to protect their health and prevent
transmission to others.
Use of trade names and commercial sources is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services.References to non-CDC sites on the Internet are
provided as a service to MMWR readers and do not constitute or imply
endorsement of these organizations or their programs by CDC or the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. CDC is not responsible for the content
of pages found at these sites. URL addresses listed in MMWR were current as of
the date of publication.
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