Hepatitis B and C Training Program and Treatment Update (July 18, 2015)

Up to 5.3 million people—2 percent of the U.S. population—are living with chronic hepatitis B or hepatitis C. These diseases are more common than HIV/AIDS in the U.S. Yet, because hepatitis B and hepatitis C often present no symptoms, most people who have them are unaware until they develop liver cancer or liver disease many years later.

A January 2011 Institute of Medicine (IOM) study, entitled Hepatitis and Liver Cancer: A National Strategy for Prevention and Control of Hepatitis B and C finds that despite the prevalence of the diseases, they are not widely recognized as serious public health problems and states:

“An estimated 1.2–2 million people in the United States are chronically infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and 2.7–3.9 million people are chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). Lack of awareness about the prevalence of chronic viral hepatitis in the United States and about the proper methods and target populations for screening and medical management of chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis C contributes to continuing transmission; missing of opportunities for prevention, including vaccination; missing of opportunities for early diagnosis and medical care; and poor health outcomes in infected people.” IOM (Institute of Medicine). 2010. Hepatitis and Liver Cancer: A National Strategy for Prevention and Control of Hepatitis B and C. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press