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Source: https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/202...uce-alaskas-high-rate-of-chronic-hepatitis-b/
Experts recommend steps to reduce Alaska’s high rate of chronic hepatitis B
By Yereth Rosen, Alaska Beacon
Updated: 1 hour ago Published: 7 hours ago
Alaskans’ rate for chronic hepatitis B is nearly three times the national average, but there are measures that can help better control those infections, according to a new state report.
A bulletin issued by the Alaska Division of Public Health’s epidemiology section reveals that from 2010 to 2020, 1,151 newly identified cases of chronic hepatitis B were reported to state officials. That translates to an annual average rate of 14.2 cases per 100,000 people, compared to the national rate of 5 cases per 100,000 people.
Hepatitis B is the world’s most common serious infectious disease of the liver, and it is caused by one of five hepatitis viruses. Acute cases are those caused by infections that are followed by recovery and resistance to the virus, while in chronic cases, the infectious virus remains in the body. “Some people never get over it,” said Stephanie Massay, a state epidemiology specialist who coauthored the bulletin.
The Alaska records show that chronic hepatitis rates, based on cases identified during that decade, are by far highest among Asians and Pacific Islanders in Alaska. For Alaska Asians, the rate was 69.5 per 100,000, while the rate for Pacific Islanders in the state was 53 per 100,000, according to the bulletin...
Experts recommend steps to reduce Alaska’s high rate of chronic hepatitis B
By Yereth Rosen, Alaska Beacon
Updated: 1 hour ago Published: 7 hours ago
Alaskans’ rate for chronic hepatitis B is nearly three times the national average, but there are measures that can help better control those infections, according to a new state report.
A bulletin issued by the Alaska Division of Public Health’s epidemiology section reveals that from 2010 to 2020, 1,151 newly identified cases of chronic hepatitis B were reported to state officials. That translates to an annual average rate of 14.2 cases per 100,000 people, compared to the national rate of 5 cases per 100,000 people.
Hepatitis B is the world’s most common serious infectious disease of the liver, and it is caused by one of five hepatitis viruses. Acute cases are those caused by infections that are followed by recovery and resistance to the virus, while in chronic cases, the infectious virus remains in the body. “Some people never get over it,” said Stephanie Massay, a state epidemiology specialist who coauthored the bulletin.
The Alaska records show that chronic hepatitis rates, based on cases identified during that decade, are by far highest among Asians and Pacific Islanders in Alaska. For Alaska Asians, the rate was 69.5 per 100,000, while the rate for Pacific Islanders in the state was 53 per 100,000, according to the bulletin...