The number of new cases of acute hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has declined dramatically in the US over the past decade, according to a report presented this week at the 10th International Symposium on Viral Hepatitis and Liver Disease.
After a period of relative stability in new cases or incidence of the viral infection between 1982-1987, the reported incidence of acute HBV infections declined by 71.7 % -- to 3.9 cases per 100,000 -- in 1997, the investigators found. The study, performed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Hepatitis Branch, is part of an ongoing effort to monitor incidence of HBV in the US.
Dr. Susan Goldstein and colleagues gathered data from four counties located in Florida, Colorado, Alabama and Washington from 1982-1997. They then analyzed the demographic information of 3,842 patients with confirmed HBV and examined risk factors such as intravenous drug use and high-risk sexual behaviors.
According to the study, the number of HBV cases decreased by 91.7% among injection drug users, 85.7% among men who have sex with men, and by 44.1% in men and women engaging in high-risk heterosexual activity. The decrease took place across all ethnic groups in both males and females.
"The decrease is probably due to increases in hepatitis B vaccination, but may also result from changes in behavior in response to the AIDS epidemic," Goldstein told Reuters Health.
"Although the incidence of HBV has declined dramatically, we must continue to vaccinate high-risk individuals and counsel those engaging in high-risk sexual and drug behaviors," she cautioned.
