Where next for hepatitis B and C surveillance?

Area of Science:

• Hepatology
• Infectious Diseases
• Public Health Surveillance

Background:

• Hepatitis B and C infections represent a substantial global health burden, causing 1.3 million deaths annually.
• There is a critical need for improved data quality regarding the disease burden of hepatitis B and C.
• Case reporting of diagnosed infections is a key method for informing policymakers about hepatitis trends.

Purpose of the Study:

• To summarize trends in hepatitis B and C infection across Europe using harmonized reporting data.
• To evaluate the utility of case reporting for monitoring hepatitis trends and identifying outbreaks.
• To highlight the need for comprehensive epidemiologic assessments that integrate case reporting with other data sources.

Main Methods:

• Utilized standardized case definitions and a harmonized reporting framework developed by the European Centers for Disease Control (ECDC).
• Analyzed trends in reported cases of hepatitis B and C across European countries.
• Examined risk factor information, including the role of injecting drug use.

Main Results:

• Significant variability in reported hepatitis B and C cases was observed across European countries, partly due to differing testing practices.
• Injecting drug use remains a prominent risk factor for hepatitis C infection.
• Hepatitis case reporting provides valuable insights but its utility is limited by reporting completeness.

Conclusions:

• Hepatitis case reporting is a valuable tool for public health surveillance, outbreak detection, and trend monitoring.
• Improving the completeness of hepatitis case reporting is essential to enhance data utility.
• A comprehensive epidemiologic assessment of hepatitis burden necessitates combining case reporting data with serologic and behavioral surveys.