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Hepatitis B Surveillance 2021
What Is Hepatitis B
Hepatitis B is a vaccine-preventable liver disease caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). HBV is transmitted when blood, semen, or another body fluid from a person infected with the virus enters the body of someone who is uninfected.
This can happen through sexual contact; sharing needles, syringes, or other drug-injection equipment; or from the gestational parent to baby during pregnancy or at birth.
For some persons, hepatitis B is an acute, or short-term, illness; for others, it can become a long-term, chronic infection. Chronic hepatitis B can lead to serious health problems, including cirrhosis, liver cancer, and death.
Treatments are available, but no cure exists for hepatitis B. The best way to prevent hepatitis B is by being vaccinated.
Acute Hepatitis B
2,045
There were 2,045 new cases of acute hepatitis B reported during 2021
13,300
There were 13,300 estimated acute hepatitis B virus infections during 2021
Chronic Hepatitis B
14,229
There were 14,229 cases of newly reported chronic hepatitis B during 2021
5.9
There were 5.9 newly reported cases of chronic hepatitis B per 100,000 people during 2021
Acute Hepatitis B
During 2021, 47 states reported 2,045 acute hepatitis B cases resulting in an estimated 13,300 infections. After a decade of stable rates, the rate of acute hepatitis B abruptly decreased in 2020; the rate decreased again by 14% in 2021. This decrease may be related to fewer people seeking healthcare and being tested for hepatitis B during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hepatitis B Prevention
Hepatitis B vaccination prevents hepatitis B. Reported cases of acute hepatitis B decreased after ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø recommended routine child vaccination in 1991. The decrease continued until 2011, leveled off, and then declined again in 2020 and 2021, which may be due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
To further decrease hepatitis B incidence, ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø published the 2022 universal hepatitis B adult vaccination recommendation calling for all people aged 19–59 years to receive hepatitis B vaccine whether they have risk factors or not.
Fast Facts About Acute Hepatitis B in 2021
The rate of reported acute hepatitis B cases decreased 14% from 2020–2021
73% of all acute hepatitis B cases were persons aged 30–59 years
States in the Appalachian region had rates of acute hepatitis B higher than the US average
Rates of acute hepatitis B were highest among non-Hispanic Black persons
Chronic Hepatitis B
During 2021, a total of 14,229 newly reported cases of chronic hepatitis B, corresponding to a rate of 5.9 cases per 100,000 people.
The rate of newly reported chronic hepatitis B cases among non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander persons (27.0 cases per 100,000 people) was 14 times the rate among non-Hispanic White persons (1.9 cases per 100,000 people).
Fast Facts About Chronic Hepatitis B in 2021
In 2021, the rate of newly reported chronic hepatitis B was 14x higher among non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander persons than among non-Hispanic White persons
89% of newly reported chronic hepatitis B cases occurred in persons 30 years and older
- Figure 2.1. Number of reported cases of acute hepatitis B virus infection and estimated infections — United States, 2014–2021
- Figure 2.2. Rates of reported acute hepatitis B virus infection, by state or jurisdiction — United States, 2020–2021
- Figure 2.3. Rates of reported cases of acute hepatitis B virus infection, by state or jurisdiction — United States, 2021
- Figure 2.4. Rates of reported cases of acute hepatitis B virus infection, by age group — United States, 2006–2021
- Figure 2.5. Rates of reported cases of acute hepatitis B virus infection, by sex — United States, 2006–2021
- Figure 2.6. Rates of reported cases of acute hepatitis B virus infection, by race/ethnicity — United States, 2006–2021
- Figure 2.7. Availability of information on risk behaviors or exposures associated with reported cases of acute hepatitis B virus infection — United States, 2021
- Figure 2.8. Rates of deaths with hepatitis B virus infection listed as a cause of death among residents, by state or jurisdiction — United States, 2021
- Table 2.1. Numbers and rates of reported cases of acute hepatitis B virus infection, by state or jurisdiction — United States, 2017–2021
- Table 2.2. Numbers and rates of reported cases of acute hepatitis B virus infection, by demographic characteristics — United States, 2017–2021
- Table 2.3. Reported risk behaviors or exposures among reported cases of acute hepatitis B virus infection — United States, 2021
- Table 2.4. Number of newly reported cases of perinatal hepatitis B virus infection, by state or jurisdiction — United States, 2021
- Table 2.5. Number and rate of newly reported cases of chronic hepatitis B virus infection, by state or jurisdiction — United States, 2021
- Table 2.6. Number and rate of newly reported cases of chronic hepatitis B virus infection, by demographic characteristics — United States, 2021
- Table 2.7. Numbers and rates of deaths with hepatitis B virus infection listed as a cause of death among residents, by state or jurisdiction — United States, 2017–2021
- Table 2.8. Numbers and rates of deaths with hepatitis B virus infections listed as a cause of death among residents, by demographic characteristics — United States, 2017–2021