Hepatitis B  

Statistics and Facts

• Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infected an estimated 200,000 Americans in 1996. Thousands of the victims were adolescents and young adults.

• About one-third of those who become infected with HBV do not know how they got the disease.

• Hepatitis B kills 4,000 - 5,000 Americans every year. Death from cirrhosis (liver scarring) or liver cancer often occurs after infection has been present for a long time.

• Worldwide, about 1 million people die annually from HBV induced liver diseases.

• HBV vaccine is about 90% effective.

• Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is 100 times more infectious than HIV.

• The risk of transmission from a needlestick is 5-30%.

• About 90% of infected infants become carriers.

• HBV currently infects 1-1.25 million people in the USA.

• 300 million people infected with HBV worldwide, most of which are in African and Asian regions, as can be seen in the map below.

©2001
Disclaimer-Please note that this website was made for the purposes of a class.
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