Viral Hepatitis Up to 10 Times More Likely in Indigenous Populations

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American Indian tribal citizens and other native peoples around the world are up to 10 times more likely to be infected with viral hepatitis than others in their countries, according to a global analysis of data on the liver-attacking diseases.

“Indigenous peoples worldwide are bearing a disproportionately high burden of hepatitis B, hepatitis C, or both,” said Raquel Peck, chief Executive of the London-based World Hepatitis Alliance.

Poverty, injection drug use, incarceration and the lack of healthcare and prevention all contribute to the risk to native groups, the findings show.

Researchers investigated the prevalence of hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) in North and South America, Australia and New Zealand. The HCV data covered 11 countries, 23 specific indigenous nations and 12 broader groups from 1991 onward. For HBV, 13 countries, 106 indigenous nations and 22 broader groups were reviewed.

Alaska’s native population showed the greatest overall impact. Their HBV rates were 10 times higher than levels in the surrounding communities. However, the state’s universal HBV vaccination program has almost eliminated new infections among youth and has likely reduced the overall HBV prevalence in recent years, researchers said.

“This proves that vaccination in the indigenous population can have a very large impact on the disease burden,” said Homie Razavi, PhD, MBA and Managing Director of the CDA Foundation. The findings will be submitted for publication in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology.