Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections are frequent causes of acute and chronic hepatitis worldwide and leading causes for hepatic cirrhosis and cancer. There is a distinct geographical variation in HBV and HCV incidence and prevalence in the European Union (EU) and European Economic Area/European Free Trade Association (EEA/EFTA) member states and neighbouring countries. The HBV carrier prevalence ranges from 0.1 to 8.0% and that of HCV from 0.1 to 6.0%. Within the last few years, the HBV incidence has decreased while the HCV incidence has increased. Both diseases are concentrated in certain subpopulations, such as injecting drug users, with tens of times higher prevalence than in the general population. Most EU and EEA/EFTA countries have a surveillance system for HBV and HCV infections, but due to differences in system structures, reporting practices, data collection methods and case definitions used, the surveillance data are difficult to compare across countries. The harmonisation and strengthening of HBV and HCV surveillance at the European level is of utmost importance to obtain more robust data on these diseases.
Highlights
Most European Union (EU) and EEA/EFTA countries have a surveillance system for Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections, but due to differences in system structures, reporting practices, data collection methods and case definitions used, the surveillance data are difficult to compare across countries
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections are frequent causes of acute and chronic hepatitis worldwide and they create a significant burden to healthcare systems due to the high morbidity and mortality, and costs of treatment
A surveillance system for HBV infections was in place in all 19 European countries that responded to the survey
Summary
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections are frequent causes of acute and chronic hepatitis worldwide and they create a significant burden to healthcare systems due to the high morbidity and mortality, and costs of treatment. Regarding HCV, it has been estimated that 170 million persons have chronic infection and that 3 to 4 million new infections occur each year [1,2]. In the European Union, the occurrence of both HBV and HCV is known to differ across countries but the interpretation of this heterogeneity is difficult [3]. Within the last two years, a number of initiatives aimed at raising awareness of viral hepatitis have been undertaken in the European Union. With the aim of strengthening the surveillance of HBV and HCV the ECDC has started on: 1) reviewing available information on surveillance systems and epidemiology of HBV and HCV in the EU and 2) drafting a proposal for EU-wide surveillance for hepatitis B and C. The objective of this paper is to summarise the main results and conclusions of the first of these projects
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