Viral hepatitis is a disease of the liver caused by a virus. The liver is a large and important organ that helps clean the blood, store nutrients, process food, alcohol, and medicines, and make bile to help digest fats. When the liver is inflamed or damaged, it cannot work properly. Many people with viral hepatitis do not feel sick, even though the infection can range from mild to severe. Viral hepatitis is a serious public health problem in the United States and is a leading cause of liver cancer. The only way to know if you have viral hepatitis is to get tested.
The most common types of viral hepatitis are hepatitis A, B, and C. These viruses spread in different ways and can be passed on before someone knows they are infected. Hepatitis A spreads through close contact or contaminated food or drinks. Hepatitis B spreads through blood, semen, or other body fluids. Hepatitis C spreads through contact with infected blood. Vaccines can prevent hepatitis A and hepatitis B, and medications can cure hepatitis C.
In 2023, Hispanics/Latinos were 60% more likely to have had hepatitis A than the U.S. population overall.
In 2023, new cases of chronic hepatitis C were 68% lower among Hispanics/Latinos than in the U.S. overall, but they were 4% more likely to die from hepatitis C.
In 2022, Hispanics/Latinos were 29% more likely to die from viral hepatitis than the U.S. population overall.
In 2023, they were 36% less likely to die from hepatitis B compared with the total U.S. population.
Deaths due to viral hepatitis, age-adjusted rates per 100,000 population, 2022
Hispanic
Total Population
Ratio (Hispanic / Total)
Male
1.2
0.9
1.33
Female
0.7
0.5
1.40
Both Sexes
0.9
0.7
1.29
Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. (2025). Deaths: Final data for 2022 (National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 74, No. 4. Table 11). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Hepatitis B
Deaths with hepatitis B listed as a cause of death, rate per 100,000 population, 2023
