Infectious Disease Statistics

The following statistics are the latest available from the National Center for Health Statistics (part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC) and the National Coalition for Adult Immunizations:

• Approximately one-third of Americans have been exposed to hepatitis A.
• The number of new hepatitis B infections has declined since the 1980s. There were 73,000 new cases in 2003.
• Each year, there are approximately 25,000 new hepatitis C infections.
• Tuberculosis strikes about 15,000 people annually.
• About 36,000 people per year in the US die from influenza.
• In the US, about 930,000 people are living with HIV or AIDS.
• Before the chickenpox vaccine was introduced in 1995, there were about 4 million cases of chickenpox. With vaccination, the frequency of new cases has decreased in all age groups, especially in children ages one to four years.
• Even though the measles vaccination is now available, nearly 90 cases of measles still occur annually.
• The number of cases of sexually transmitted diseases occurring annually recently reported:
  • Syphilis: more than 32,000 
  • Chlamydia: 834,555
  • Gonorrhea: 351,852
• Whooping cough affects more than 4,400 people in the US annually.