About 450 000 Bulgarians have Hepatitis B, association says

About 450 000 Bulgarians are infected with Hepatitis B and about 100 000 with Hepatitis C, according to the national association to combat hepatitis, television station bTV said on July 14 2011.

According to the most recent census, done in 2011, Bulgaria's population is about 7.3 million.

Transmission of the Hepatitis B virus results from exposure to infectious blood or body fluids such as semen and vaginal fluids The Hepatitis C virus is spread by blood-to-blood contact.

One of the biggest problems with these diseases is that they occur without symptoms, bTV said. Often patients take no measures to treat and protect their loved ones. 

According to the World Health Organisation, each year three to four million people worldwide are infected with Hepatitis C. It is a serious viral infection and one of the most insidious diseases of the liver.Together with Hepatitis C, it is called the "silent killer" because people can live for years with the disease without knowing.