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PRESS CONTACT: |
Asian Americans are a population at disproportionately high risk of developing hepatitis B-related chronic liver disease and liver cancer.
Nearly 15 percent of Asian Americans who were tested at a community-based hepatitis B screening program in New York City in 2005 were found to have chronic hepatitis B virus infection. The prevalence of chronic hepatitis B virus infection among screening program participants was 35 times that of the overall U.S. population. All of participants who were found to have chronic hepatitis B virus infection were born outside the United States and likely acquired their infections in their countries of origin either at birth or during childhood. An estimated 15-40 percent of those with chronic hepatitis B infection will develop chronic liver disease, including cirrhosis and liver cancer. Persons with chronic hepatitis B virus infection should be identified so that they can receive counseling and treatment. Community-based hepatitis B screening programs can provide effective ways to reach those at risk.
PRESS CONTACT: |
More adults are protected from hepatitis B through vaccination now than ever before, but many adults at risk for infection still are not vaccinated. Increasing vaccination coverage among adults at high risk will accelerate elimination of hepatitis B virus transmission in the United States.
A large national survey found that vaccination of adults at high risk of hepatitis B infection increased from 30 percent in 2000 to 45 percent in 2004. The hepatitis B virus is transmitted through sexual and bloodborne routes. Infection with this virus is a major cause of cirrhosis and liver cancer in the United States, and can be prevented with immunization. Immunization programs in the United States have led to a 75 percent national decrease in the rate of acute hepatitis B from 1990 to 2004, with (94 percent) declines among children and adolescents and smaller declines among adults. Increasing vaccination coverage among adults at high risk for infection will accelerate elimination of hepatitis B virus transmission in the United States.
PRESS CONTACT: |
Two and a half million children under age 5 die each year from lack of access to available vaccines. The Global Immunization Vision and Strategy, developed by WHO and UNICEF, aims to greatly reduce vaccine-preventable deaths by increasing vaccination coverage, introducing new vaccines, and integrating the delivery of immunizations with other health interventions.
Immunization programs worldwide have made substantial progress since their inception, preventing an estimated 2 million child deaths annually. Nonetheless, as demonstrated by both global estimates of vaccine-preventable disease mortality and DTP3 coverage, currently available vaccines are not yet used to their fullest potential. Challenges include sustaining current immunization levels, extending immunizations to those currently unreached and those beyond infancy, and introducing new vaccines and technologies. The Global Immunization Vision and Strategy (GIVS) recently developed by WHO and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in collaboration with partners, outlines their vision for immunizations from 2006-2015 and offers a conceptual framework within which these challenges may be addressed. Full implementation of GIVS will hopefully greatly reduce vaccine preventable deaths during the next 10 years.
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Contact Us This page last reviewed
May 11, 2006
Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention |
