By Will Dunham WASHINGTON, March 15 (Reuters) - New cases of the liver disease hepatitis fell sharply in the United States from 1995 to 2005, federal health officials said on Thursday, and credited vaccination, particularly among children. More than 100,000 Americans became infected with hepatitis viruses in 2005, compared to about 500,000 in 1995, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. The incidence of hepatitis A and B dropped to the lowest levels recorded since the government first started keeping records on them more than four decades ago, the CDC said. It also reported a retreat in cases of hepatitis C. These are the three most commonly occurring forms of acute viral hepatitis in the United States. Hepatitis B and C can lead to liver cancer and death. From 1995 to 2005, new cases of reported acute hepatitis A plummeted by 88 percent to an incidence rate of 1.5 per 100,000 people, the CDC said. During the same period, reported cases of acute hepatitis B plunged 79 percent to a rate of 1.8 per 100,000 people. CDC epidemiologist Annemarie Wasley said prevention efforts by health authorities have paid off, particularly with the widespread use of hepatitis A and B vaccines. "Rates are declining for all ages, but much of the decline is driven by declining rates in children, which is the age group that has been covered by routine vaccination for both hepatitis A and B," Wasley said in a telephone interview. More progress is needed to drive down rates among intravenous drug users, homosexuals and heterosexuals with multiple sex partners, Wasley said. Dr. Kevin Fenton, who heads the CDC's National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, hailed the progress against hepatitis A and B in particular as "one of the big public health success stories of the last 10 years." Under CDC recommendations, all children ages 12 months to 23 months should be vaccinated against hepatitis A, as should people in high-risk groups such as international travelers, gay men and drug users. The CDC recommends three doses of hepatitis B vaccine beginning at infancy. It is also recommended for people with multiple sex partners and intravenous drug users. The CDC said cases of hepatitis C also fell, but the trend should be viewed warily because surveillance is limited, as many people do not develop symptoms immediately and may be unaware they are infected with the virus.
