280,000 Chinese die of hepatitis B annually
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2004-05-05 14:12

China reports about half a million new cases of hepatitis B and 280,000 deaths from hepatitis B-related liver diseases each year, according to the Ministry of Public Health.

Hepatitis B disease costs China 100 billion yuan (US$12.1 billion) in medical treatment and health care expenses.

China has about 20 million people with chronic viral liver diseases out of its 1.3 billion population, and half of the 280,000 Chinese who died of liver diseases in China were due to liver cancer.

About 2 billion people in the world have contracted hepatitis B virus, and 750,000 people around the world die of hepatitis B virus infection.

Some carriers of hepatitis B virus may develop liver diseases, such as liver cancer.

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