Abstract
Abstract Reliable hepatitis C prevalence estimates are crucial for a good follow-up of the indicators to eliminate hepatitis by 2030 as set by the World Health Organization. In Belgium, no recent national population-based hepatitis C virus (HCV) seroprevalence estimate is available. The current study estimated HCV prevalence as part of the first Belgian Health Examination Survey, which was organized in 2018 as a second stage of the sixth Belgian Health Interview Survey. This national population-based cross-sectional study resulted in a weighted national HCV seroprevalence of 0.02% (95% CI 0.00–0.07%). The results show a much lower HCV seroprevalence compared to previous studies.
Highlights
The estimation of the prevalence of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the general population is considered one of the 10 core indicators in the evaluation plan of the World Health Organization (WHO) to eliminate hepatitis by 2030 (World Health Organization, 2016)
In the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA), anti-HCV prevalence in the general population is estimated at 1.1%, ranging from 0.1% in Belgium, Ireland, and the Netherlands to 5.9% in Italy (Hofstraat et al, 2017)
The current HCV estimation was part of the first Belgian Health Examination Survey (BELHES), which was organized as a second stage of the sixth Belgian Health Interview Survey (BHIS)
Summary
The estimation of the prevalence of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the general population is considered one of the 10 core indicators in the evaluation plan of the World Health Organization (WHO) to eliminate hepatitis by 2030 (World Health Organization, 2016). In Belgium, the existing data on HCV prevalence focus on specific subpopulations (Van Baelen et al, 2020), are outdated (Beutels et al, 1997), limited to specific geographic areas (Beutels et al, 1997), or not representative because of the sampling method (Litzroth et al, 2019). In the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA), anti-HCV prevalence in the general population is estimated at 1.1% (95% CI 0.9–1.4), ranging from 0.1% in Belgium, Ireland, and the Netherlands to 5.9% in Italy (Hofstraat et al, 2017)
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