Viral Hepatitis and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders

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, Asians/Pacific Islanders were 40% more likely than the overall U.S. population to have had hepatitis A.
In 2023, Asians/Pacific Islanders were reported to have chronic hepatitis B at a rate more than three times higher than the overall U.S. population.
In 2023, Asians/Pacific Islanders had about 85% fewer new cases of chronic hepatitis C than the overall U.S. population.
In 2023, Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders (NHPI) were nearly 10 times more likely to die from hepatitis B than the overall U.S. population.

Additional Resources

MedlinePlus

Related Data

Further Reading

HHS OMH Knowledge Center Topic Guide: Viral Hepatitis

Occurrence

Hepatitis A

Reported cases of hepatitis A, rate per 100,000 population, 2023
Asian/Pacific Islander*	Total Population	Ratio (Asian/Pacific Islander* / Total)
0.7	0.5	1.40

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2025). Viral hepatitis surveillance report – United States, 2023 (Table 1.2). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Hepatitis B

Reported cases of acute hepatitis B, rate per 100,000 population, 2023
Asian/Pacific Islander*	Total Population	Ratio (Asian/Pacific Islander* / Total)
0.4	0.7	0.57

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2025). Viral hepatitis surveillance report – United States, 2023 (Table 2.2). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Newly reported cases of chronic hepatitis B, rate per 100,000 population, 2023
Asian/Pacific Islander*	Total Population	Ratio (Asian/Pacific Islander* / Total)
18.9	6.1	3.10

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2025). Viral hepatitis surveillance report – United States, 2023 (Table 2.6). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Hepatitis C

Reported cases of acute hepatitis C, rate per 100,000 population, 2023
Asian/Pacific Islander*	Total Population	Ratio (Asian/Pacific Islander* / Total)
0.4	1.5	0.27

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2025). Viral hepatitis surveillance report – United States, 2023 (Table 3.2). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Newly reported cases of chronic hepatitis C, rate per 100,000 population, 2023
Asian/Pacific Islander*	Total Population	Ratio (Asian/Pacific Islander* / Total)
5.3	36.2	0.15

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2025). Viral hepatitis surveillance report – United States, 2023 (Table 3.6). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Mortality

Hepatitis B

Deaths with hepatitis B listed as a cause of death, rate per 100,000 population, 2023
NHPI*	Total Population	Ratio (NHPI* / Total)
4.23	0.44	9.61

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2025). Viral hepatitis surveillance report – United States, 2023 (Table 2.8). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

*Population is non-Hispanic in the data source.

Date Last Reviewed: January 2026