WV wins again: We're #1 for hepatitis B

[CoolBreeze]

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- West Virginia has long been at or near the top of the list among the 50 states in cases of heart disease per 100,000 residents, but now it is saddled with another unwanted distinction.

It has the highest incidence of hepatitis B per 100,000 residents, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control.

The Mountain State had 4.5 cases of acute hepatitis B for every 100,000 residents in 2007, the most recent year for which statistics are available. Oklahoma was second on the list with 4.2 incidences per 100,000.

Vicki Hogan, hepatitis B epidemiologist for the state health bureau, said the West Virginia counties with the highest rates of hepatitis in 2009 were Berkeley, Mercer, Logan, Cabell and Kanawha.

Loretta Haddy, director of the Office of Epidemiology and Prevention Services for the W.Va. Bureau for Public Health, said the sharing of needles and other equipment for drug use is the biggest factor in West Virginia's high rate.

http://www.dailymail.com/News/201005180945

[AmpedNow]

Or, people come in contact with poop and go around without washing their hands.