The Center For Disease Control and Prevention announced in a press release Thursday that it recommends that all adults in the United States be tested for hepatitis B at least once in their lifetime.
According to the press release, this is because it’s estimated more than half of people who have the hepatitis B virus (HBV) don’t know they’re infected.
The CDC states that without treatment and monitoring, HBV can lead to deadly health outcomes, including liver damage and liver cancer.
The press release states that previous guidelines for HBV screening and testing have been expanded by recommending screening for all U.S. adults and expanding continual periodic risk-based testing to include more groups, activities, exposures and conditions.