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Below is an edited excerpt from the forthcoming report, Hawaiʻi Hepatitis B and Liver Cancer Incidence and Mortality Report, from the Hawaiʻi Department of Health. Once completed, it will be posted on the Harm Reduction Services Branch and Hep Free Hawaiʻi websites.

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Hawaiʻi has the highest hepatitis B-associated death rate nationwide. In 2019, the rate for Hawaiʻi (1.17) was almost 3 times the national rate (0.42).[1] This might be partially explained by the fact that Hawaiʻi has a disproportionately higher percentage of Asian and Pacific Islander people—who experience the highest hepatitis B-associated death rate.[2] For example, API people accounted for 60.1% to 65.3% of the general population in Hawaiʻi, but only 6.9% among the general population for the US.[3] In 2019, at the national level, the rate for API people was 2.1, approximately 7.5 times the rate among non-Hispanic White persons.[2]

Although rates in Hawaiʻi were much higher than the national rate, there has been progress in reducing hepatitis B-associated deaths both statewide and among API people in Hawaiʻi. This is evident when comparing the age-adjusted hepatitis B-associated mortality rates from 2012-2014 to 2018-2020, which decreased from 1.54 to 0.99 statewide. To continue this progress, a 62.6% reduction from the 2018-2020 rate is needed for Hawaiʻi to meet the national 2025 goal of 0.37 deaths per 100,000 population. Among API people, the age-adjusted hepatitis B-associated mortality rates decreased from 1.83 during 2011-2013 to 1.22 during 2018-2020 (see Figure 3 above), which is below the national 2025 goal of 1.84 per 100,000 population for API people.[2] 

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[1] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Health Statistics. Multiple Cause of Death 1999–2019 on CDC WONDER Online Database. Accessed on May 6, 2022. http://wonder.cdc.gov/mcd-icd10.html

[2] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 2021 National Viral Hepatitis Progress Report. Accessed on May 16, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/policy/NPR/2021/NationalProgressReport-HepB-ReduceDeaths.htm

[3] U.S. Census Bureau. Annual Estimates of the Resident Population by Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2019. Accessed on May 18, 2022. https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2010s-national-detail.html