Hepatitis B and C remain public health issue -- up to 5.3 million Americans infected
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 - 10:28
in Health & Medicine
A recent report by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) confirmed that 3.5 to 5.3 million people (1-2 % of the U.S. population) have chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections. Despite efforts by federal, state and local government agencies to control and prevent these diseases, they remain a serious public health concern. The major factor impeding efforts to control HBV and HCV is lack of knowledge and awareness among health care providers, social service professionals, members of the public, and policy-makers. The full IOM report is now available online and published in Hepatology, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD).