Hepatitis Awareness Month—May 2005

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, May 13, 2005

May is Hepatitis Awareness Month. In 2003, in the United States, an estimated 61,000 new infections occurred with hepatitis A virus, 73,000 with hepatitis B virus, and 30,000 with hepatitis C virus (1). Effective interventions, such as hepatitis A and hepatitis B immunization (2,3) and counseling and testing for hepatitis C (4), can help prevent and control viral hepatitis and protect personal and community health. Additional information regarding Hepatitis Awareness Month, activities associated with this month, prevention and control of viral hepatitis, and free educational materials is available at http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis.>