Birth year distribution in reported hepatitis C cases in Switzerland

Data of the national hepatitis C virus (HCV) notification system and the Swiss hepatitis C cohort study have been analysed for birth year distribution. Persons born between 1955 and 1974 are disproportionally affected by HCV, accounting for 61% of all reported infections. Over the course of the reporting period from 1988 to 2012, the majority of affected persons were born in the mid-60s and a sharply increasing proportion between 1975 and 1984 (from 0.6 to 19.5%). To enhance the so far insufficient HCV detection rates in Switzerland, additional testing strategies such as birth cohort screening must be further evaluated and discussed.