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. 2014 Dec 18;40(19):421-428.
doi: 10.14745/ccdr.v40i19a01.

Hepatitis C surveillance in Canada

E Payne  1 , S Totten  1 , C Archibald  1
Affiliations

Hepatitis C surveillance in Canada

E Payne et al. Can Commun Dis Rep. .

Abstract

Background: Hepatitis C is a highly transmissible virus that can lead to chronic liver disease. It continues to be a major public health concern in Canada.

Objective: To describe surveillance trends of reported cases of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) in Canada by age and sex from 1991-2012.

Methods: Cases of HCV reported to the Canadian Notifiable Disease Surveillance System were compiled at the national level. As most reported cases are not differentiated by acute or chronic HCV infection status, presented results are based on total HCV cases. Time trends are provided from 1991-2012, with a more detailed examination of age and sex patterns from 2005-2012.

Results: The rate of reported HCV infection increased sharply from 1991 (the year it was first notifiable) until 1998, when the highest overall rate of 66.9 per 100,000 was observed. From that time until 2012, rates of reported cases decreased in both sexes, but remained consistently higher among males than females. In 2012, the overall rate of reported HCV infection was 29.3 per 100,000. In younger age groups, rates among females were marginally higher, while males in older age groups (30 and above) exhibited substantially higher rates.

Conclusion: This surveillance summary presents the longer-term trends in reported cases and corresponding rates of HCV in Canada using national surveillance data. Canada continues to experience a downward trend in HCV rates; however, the burden of infection will continue to increase as chronically infected individuals develop severe illness.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: None

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Rates of reported cases of Hepatitis C in Canada1 by sex, CNDSS2, 1991-2012
1 Includes PEI, ON, SK, AB, BC 1991-2012; NL, NB, NT 1993-2012; YT 1994-2012; NS, QC 1996-2012; MB 1999-2012; NU 1999-2006. For rate calculation, population denominators were adjusted to include only those jurisdictions for which data were available in a given year.
2 CNDSS = Canadian Notifiable Disease Surveillance System
Figure 2
Figure 2. Rates of reported cases of Hepatitis C in males in Canada1 by age group, CNDSS2, 2005-2012
1 Hepatitis C data were not available for NU from 2007-2012 at the time of analysis. The population has been removed from the denominator for rate calculation.
2 CNDSS = Canadian Notifiable Disease Surveillance System
Figure 3
Figure 3. Rates of reported cases of Hepatitis C in females in Canada1 by age group, CNDSS2, 2005-2012
1 Hepatitis C were not available for NU from 2007-2012 at the time of analysis. The population has been removed from the denominator for rate calculation.
2 CNDSS = Canadian Notifiable Disease Surveillance System
Figure 4
Figure 4. Rates of reported cases of Hepatitis C in Canada1 by age group and sex, CNDSS2, 2012
1 2012 Hepatitis C data were not available for NU at the time of analysis and this population has been removed for rate calculation.
2 CNDSS = Canadian Notifiable Disease Surveillance System
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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