Hepatitis B: Risk & Affects

Infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) remains a global health problem, and it is estimated that about 2 billion people worldwide have been infected with the virus, more than 350 million people are sick. In recent years, more and more important in developed countries acquire sexual way of transmission of the virus. In the United States, the occurrence of severe hepatitis B has decreased by 81 percent from 1990 to 2006, with the biggest fall among children including adolescents (Wasley et al, 2008). The incidence in 2007 was approximated to be 1.5 per 100,000 persons. There were 4519 acute, symptomatic cases reported but an estimated 43,000 new infections overall, with most infections occurring in men ages 25 to 44 (www.cdc.gov). The most widespread risk factors were sexual exposure and injection drug use. These data indicate that vaccination programs targeted at high risk adults are needed to further reduce transmission of Hepatitis B Virus in the USA.Hepatitis B: Risk & Affects Sample