End-stage liver disease accounts for one in forty deaths worldwide. Chronic infections with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) are well-recognized risk factors for cirrhosis and liver cancer, but estimates of their contributions to worldwide disease burden have been lacking.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Division of Viral Hepatitis, Epidemiology Branch, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA. jperz@cdc.gov <jperz@cdc.gov>