Hepatitis B is a global public health threat and the world’s most common serious liver infection. It is up to 100 times more infectious than the HIV/AIDS virus. It also is the primary cause of liver cancer (also known as hepatocellular carcinoma or HCC), which is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in the world.
Hepatitis B Around the World
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Two billion people have been infected with the hepatitis B virus (one out of three people)
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Approximately 1.5 million people become newly infected each year
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Almost 300 million people are chronically infected
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Approximately 10% of infected individuals are diagnosed
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An estimated 820,000 people die each year from hepatitis B and related complications such as liver cancer
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Approximately two people die each minute from hepatitis B
Hepatitis B In the United States
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Up to 2.4 million people are chronically infected
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Rates of acute hepatitis B infection have risen 50%-450% in states impacted by the opioid crisis
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For many countries, chronic hepatitis B rates are higher in males than females and have declined over the past three decades, but no consistent pattern is seen between rates for U.S. immigrants and residents.
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More than 50% of people living with chronic hepatitis B are of Asian, Pacific Islander or African descent. Hepatitis B and the resulting liver cancer are among the largest health disparities for these groups
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The weighted average chronic hepatitis B prevalence for all foreign-born people in the U.S. in 2018 was about 3%. Around 59% of those U.S. residents with chronic hepatitis B in the U.S. in 2018 emigrated from Asia, 19% from the Americas and 15% from Africa
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Only 25% of infected individuals are diagnosed
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Thousands of people die each year from hepatitis B