[Epidemiology of hepatitis B in Switzerland]

Between 1988 and 1996, the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health received 200 to 500 reports of acute hepatitis B each year, mostly affecting adults aged 15 to 40 (80% of all reports). Considering the problem of underreporting and the fact that most infections are asymptomatic or remain undiagnosed because of atypical symptoms, the yearly incidence of new infections is estimated to be between 2000 and 3000. About 20,000 persons are chronically infected (0.3% of the population) and acute and chronic complications of hepatitis B (fulminant hepatitis, cirrhosis, hepatocarcinoma) lead to an estimated 40 to 80 deaths each year.