Acute hepatitis Bis one of the “notifiable” diseases. This was set up in 2003 in order to monitor the evolution of the number of cases and assess the impact of the prevention policy, in particular vaccine strategies. “It also makes it possible to study the serious forms which have given rise to hospitalization, in particular the fulminant forms, and to identify grouped cases or unusual modes of contamination” underlines Public Health France in its latest Weekly epidemiological bulletindedicated to the International Day against Viral Hepatitis.
Hepatitis B in numbers
Over the period 2003-2018:
- 1788 cases of acute hepatitis B have been reported.
- Men accounted for 72% of these cases.
- After an increase between 2003 (136 cases) and 2006 (185 cases), the annual number of reported cases decreased until 2018 (59 cases).
- This drop was most marked among 30-39 year olds.
- It is now the 20-29 age group that is the most represented.
The origins of the contamination
“The large proportion of hospitalized cases (65%) among the declared cases suggests an over-representation of the most severe forms” insist the researchers. Sexual exposure (56%) and a stay in an endemic area for hepatitis B (33%) are the main reasons for the contamination declared by the 1788 patients diagnosed. Other origins of the contamination are also cited by patients:
- Invasive care (dialysis, surgery, transplant)
- A chronic carrier of hepatitis B in the family circle
- A tattoo or a piercing
- Drug use
Read also :
- Hepatitis B: who to vaccinate first?
- True-false about hepatitis B
- Hepatitis B: 10 reasons to get tested
