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It is possible to end the transmission of hepatitis B and C and prevent further sickness and deaths from the diseases, but time, considerable resources, and attention to various barriers will be required, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. However, controlling the diseases by reducing the number of new and overall cases in the U.S. is more feasible in the short term. This is the first report of a two-phase study; the second report, to be released in early 2017, will outline a strategy for meeting the goals discussed in this report.
At least 700,000 to 1.4 million Americans have chronic hepatitis B, and between 2.5 million and 4.7 million have chronic hepatitis C. Together, the diseases kill approximately 20,000 people every year in the U.S. In the past, the term “disease elimination” often referred to complete termination of any new infections in a population, but eliminating a disease as a public health problem is a less absolute goal. The report describes a public health problem as a disease that commands attention as a major threat to the health of the community. In the case of hepatitis B and C, elimination of the diseases as public health problems would mean ending their transmission in the U.S., and for the infections that remain, preventing their undesirable signs and symptoms entirely.
Read more…https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/04/160411134003.htm
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