CDC Viral Hepatitis Updates

Surveillance for Viral Hepatitis – United States, 2016

CDC’s National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS) receives viral hepatitis case reports electronically each week from state and territorial health departments in the United States via CDC’s National Electronic Telecommunications System for Surveillance (NETSS). Most people infected with viral hepatitis are asymptomatic and so are not identified or reported. This surveillance summary describes estimated trends during 2001-2016 and reported cases of HAV, HBV, and HCV infections in 2016.

From 2015- 2016, the reported cases of hepatitis A increased by 44.4%, primarily due to two outbreaks linked to imported foods. After adjusting the number of reported cases for under-ascertainment and under-reporting, the estimated number of new HAV infections in 2016 was 4,000.
Since 2012 - 2016 reported cases of acute hepatitis B have been fluctuating around 3,000 cases each year. After adjusting for under-ascertainment and under-reporting, the estimated number of new HBV infections in 2016 was 20,900.
The number of the reported cases of acute hepatitis C continue to rise with a 3.5 fold increase from 2010 - 2016. Between 2015 and 2016 the number of reported cases of HCV increased 21.8%. The increase in acute HCV case reports reflects new infections associated with rising rates of injection-drug use, and, to a lesser extent, improved case detection. After adjusting the number of reported cases for under-ascertainment and under-reporting, an estimated 41,200 new HCV infections occurred in 2016.
Chronic hepatitis infection continues to affect millions of Americans. In 2016, a total of 14,847 reports of chronic hepatitis B and 148,932 reports of chronic hepatitis C were submitted to CDC through NNDSS.
Mortality data from 2016 presented in this report show that certain socio-demographic groups are disproportionately dying with these infections: people aged >55 years for hepatitis A; people aged >55 years of age and Asians/Pacific Islanders for hepatitis B; and people aged 55–64 years and American Indians/Alaska Native for hepatitis C.

Guidance for Completing the Hepatitis B Series during a Recombivax HB® Shortage: 2018

This guidance document includes clinical considerations and sample schedules for completing the hepatitis B series for children using single-component and combination vaccine products during the Recombivax HB shortage.

CDC Resources - HIV and Hepatitis C Outbreak Detection and Response

The opioid misuse epidemic has substantially increased the transmission risk of blood-borne viruses, including HIV and hepatitis C virus, through injection drug use. These outbreak detection and response documents provide guidance on how to prepare for, detect, investigate and respond to an HIV or hepatitis C outbreak among people who inject drugs.