Hepatitis A and C infections in the U.S. rose from 2015-19, according to the CDC's 2019 viral hepatitis surveillance report published May 19.
While 18,846 cases of hepatitis A — spread by fecal-oral transmission — were reported in 2019, the CDC estimates the actual number of infections to be nearly 38,000, based on adjustments to account for unreported cases and other factors. That marked a 1,325 percent increase in the rate of cases per 100,000 population, which rose from 0.4 cases per 100,000 in 2015, to 5.7 in 2019.
Hepatitis C infections, spread through blood, also increased in 2019, with 4,136 reported cases. The CDC estimates the actual number of infections to be 57,500.
In 2015, there were 0.8 cases per 100,000 based on reported cases, rising to 1.3 cases per 100,000 in 2019 — a 63 percent increase.
Injection drug use largely drove both outbreaks, according to the CDC.
Cases of hepatitis B have remained mostly stable between 2010-19, the CDC said. In 2019, there were 3,192 reported cases of acute hepatitis B, translating to 20,700 estimated infections.
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