Cases of hepatitis in the US have declined sharply in the last 10 years, mainly due to vaccination programs, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Since 1995, new cases of reported acute hepatitis A have declined by 88%, while the number of hepatitis B and C cases have also dropped, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said. The main factor behind the declines in new cases of hepatitis A and B was the availability of vaccines, while declines in reported new cases of hepatitis C were likely to be due to reductions in high-risk behaviors among injection drug users, according to the agency.
More than 4.5 million Americans are living with chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis C and are at serious risk for liver cirrhosis and cancer.
However, hepatitis non-profit group The Hepatitis C Caring Ambassadors Program urged people not to become complacent. Tina St John, medical director of the Caring Ambassadors Program, said: "The vast majority of people infected with the hepatitis C virus become chronically infected and many sustain serious, even life-threatening liver damage before the infection is diagnosed.
"It is critically important that people recognize chronic hepatitis C is an ongoing, substantial problem for millions of Americans."
-->
