Hepatitis Facts

Statistics

Hepatitis A

About 15% of people infected with hepatitis A will have recurring symptoms over a 6 to 9 month period.
Hepatitis A occurs in epidemics (many affected people) within the United States and internationally.
During epidemics years the number of cases of hepatitis A reached 35,000 in the U.S.
The number of cases of hepatitis A decreased in the early 1990, when the vaccine (shot) began to be used more commonly.
One-third of Americans have had hepatitis A at some point of their lives.
Hepatitis B
About 30% of people with hepatitis B show no signs or symptoms.
Chronic (long-term) infection due to hepatitis B occurs in 90% of babies infected at birth.
Death from chronic liver disease due to hepatitis B occurs in 15 to 25% of infected persons.
Infections due to hepatitis B declined from 450,000 in the 1980s to about 80,000 in the late 1990s.
The highest number of cases of hepatitis B occurs in people from 20 to 49 years of age.
Largest decline of hepatitis B due to vaccination has occurred in children and teenagers.
About 1.25 million people in the United States have chronic infection of hepatitis B.
Between 20 and 30% of adult Americans with chronic hepatitis B were infected during childhood.
Hepatitis C
About 80% of persons infected with hepatitis C show no signs or symptoms.
Chronic infection due to hepatitis C occurs among 75% to 85% of infected people.
Persons infected with hepatitis C have declined from 240,000 in the 1980s to 40,000 in 1998.
A majority of persons infected with hepatitis C are infected because of drug use.
About 3.9 million Americans have been infected with hepatitis C.
Of the total hepatitis C infected Americans, about 2.7 million are chronically infected.

How is Hepatitis Spread

Transmission varies according to the type of hepatitis virus. In general, hepatitis A is mostly through feces (stools) from infected people. Hepatitis B and C are spread through bodily fluids.

Hepatitis A

The virus that causes hepatitis A (HAV) is found in the stools (feces) of infected people. HAV is usually spread by putting something in your mouth that has infected stools. This can happen by accident, if the object, like an eating utensil, looks clean. Hepatitis A is common in areas where there are poor sanitary or hygienic (cleaning) conditions.

People at-risk of hepatitis A include:

Household contacts of infected people
Sex contacts of infected people
People living and travelling in areas of the world with many cases of the disease
Men who have sex with men
Injecting and non-injecting drug users
Health care or public safety workers

Hepatitis B

Spread of the virus that causes hepatitis B (HBV) occurs when a bodily fluid of an infected person enters the body of an uninfected person. So, HBV spreads by having unprotected sex with an infected person, sharing needles for drugs, steroids, piercing, or tattooing, infected sharps, or from mother to baby during birth.

People at-risk of developing hepatitis B include:

People with multiple sex partners
Men who have sex with men
Sex contacts of infected persons
Injection drug users
Household contacts of chronically infected people
Babies from infected mothers
Health care and public safety workers
Hemodialysis patients
People immigrating from areas of the world with many cases

Persons at-risk of hepatitis B might also be at risk of hepatitis C.

Hepatitis C

Spread of the virus that causes hepatitis C (HCV) occurs when a bodily fluid of an infected person enters the body of an uninfected person. This is similar to the spread of the virus that causes hepatitis B. So, HCV spreads by having unprotected sex with an infected person, sharing needles for drugs, steroids, piercing, or tattooing, infected sharps, or from mother to baby.

People at-risk of hepatitis C include: