Key facts

• In 2021, 14 560 cases of hepatitis C were reported in 29 EU/EEA Member States. Excluding countries that only reported acute cases the number of cases (14 550 cases) corresponds to a crude rate of 4.1 cases per 100 000 population.
• Of the cases reported, 7% were classified as acute, 35% as chronic, and 55% as ‘unknown’. Three percent could not be classified due to an incompatible data format.
• Hepatitis C was more commonly reported among men than women, with a male-to-female ratio of 2:1. The most affected age group among males was 35-44 years, and among females 25-34 years.
• Route of transmission was reported for just 32% of cases. The most commonly reported mode was injecting drug use, which accounted for 61% among acute cases and 70% among those classified as chronic with complete information on mode of transmission.
• The interpretation of hepatitis C notification data across countries remains problematic, with ongoing differences in surveillance systems and difficulties in defining reported cases as acute or chronic. With hepatitis C, a largely asymptomatic disease until the late stages, surveillance based on notification data is challenging, with data reflecting testing practices rather than true occurrence of disease.
• Despite the limitations of routine surveillance for hepatitis C, data clearly indicate that a high proportion of reported cases are attributed to injecting drug use, highlighting the importance of harm reduction measures. Ongoing nosocomial transmission and transmission among men who have sex with men in the region underscore the need to implement targeted and comprehensive public health programmes tailored to the local epidemiology.