(ATLANTA, Ga.) — Today, the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released newly-updated guidelines on screening and testing regimens for hepatitis B (HBV).

According to the release on their site, the CDC now recommends that all adults should be screened for hepatitis B once in their lifetime. This represents the first update in policy on this subject since 2008. The CDC also recommends that all adults between the ages of 19 and 59 should receive the vaccine against HBV.

HBV is transmitted through contact with infected blood or other body fluids, such as during pregnancy or delivery, through sex, or by injection drug use (IDU). Vaccination has been shown to be highly effective in preventing HBV infections and subsequent liver disease, but some 70% of adults in the United States report not being vaccinated.

WSB health reporter Sabrina Cupit spoke with one of the researchers who contributed to the report. Dr Carolyn Wester, an MD working with the CDC, said “It’s estimated that more than half of people with HBV are unaware of their infection. So, without treatment and monitoring, HBV can lead to deadly health outcomes, including severe liver damage and liver cancer.”

WSB health reporter Sabrina Cupit contributed to reporting for this story.

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