Liver cancer is the third most common cause of cancer death among Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. The vaccination is estimated to prevent 90 percent to 95 percent of hepatitis B infections and is considered the first effective cancer-prevention vaccine. The hepatitis B vaccine is a series of three shots usually given before age 8, although it can be given at any age. The catch-up program is designed to increase awareness of liver cancer and liver damage that can be caused by hepatitis B and to help those children who have not received the vaccine, catch up. In a report released by the CDC, each year about 3.6 million injuries and illnesses send workers to the emergency department for medical treatment.
Younger workers have higher injury and illness rates than older workers do.
In addition, about 16 fatalities occur on the job each day. Although this number is 28 percent lower than that reported in 1980, the CDC wants to reduce the numbers further through safety improvements and better monitoring. The hospitalization rate in 1980 was 168 per 1,000 population, and in 1999 it was 116 per 1,000. The drop is attributed to improvements in surgical techniques that allow for more outpatient and same-day surgeries. The women's hospitalization rate is 45 percent higher than the men's rate, but men have slightly longer hospital stays.