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Background
Keywords
Findings
Authors
What is already known on this subject?
What does this study add?

Text begins

Background

Chronic hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) virus infections can lead to liver failure, liver cancer, and death. In Canada, prevalence studies of HBV and HCV have been limited to regional and special populations.

Data and Methods

Data are from cycles 1 (2007 to 2009) and 2 (2009 to 2011) of the Canadian Health Measures. Socio-demographic, health and lifestyle information was obtained via a household questionnaire; blood samples collected at mobile examination centres were used to identify present and resolved HBV infections, vaccine-induced HBV immunity, and HCV infections.

Results

The seroprevalence of present HBV infection among the population aged 14 to 79 was 0.4%, representing an estimated 111,800 individuals. Another 4.2% had evidence of a previous HBV infection. Nearly 30% had vaccine-induced HBV immunity. The seroprevalence of HCV infection was 0.5%, representing an estimated 138,600. More than half of people with laboratory-confirmed HBV and 70% with laboratory-confirmed HCV were unaware of their infections.

Interpretation

This is the first Canadian study to report laboratory-confirmed seroprevalence of HBV and HCV infections based on a nationally representative household sample. Substantial percentages of younger Canadians have vaccine-induced HBV immunity.

Keywords

Biological specimens, data pooling, direct measures, disease notification, sexually transmitted diseases and blood-borne infections.

Findings

Chronic hepatitis B and C (HBV/HCV) viral infections challenge public health systems in Canada and around the world. An estimated 5% of the world population is chronically infected with HBV, and around 3%, with HCV. [Full Text]

Authors

Michelle Rotermann (michelle.rotermann@statcan.gc.ca; 1-613-951-3166) and Kellie Langlois are with the Health Analysis Division at Statistics Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0T6. Anton Andonov and Maxim Trubnikov are with the Public Health Agency of Canada.

What is already known on this subject?

  • Chronic hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) virus infections can lead to liver failure, liver cancer and death.
  • Information about the prevalence of HBV and HCV infections in Canada has generally been limited to routine and enhanced surveillance, findings of regional and provincial studies, and sero-surveys of selected populations.
  • In the early to mid-1990s, universal hepatitis B vaccination programs targeting infants and school-aged children were implemented in Canada.

What does this study add?

  • This study reports seroprevalence estimates of HBV and HCV infections and vaccine-induced HBV immunity based on nationally representative data from the first and second cycles of the Canadian Health Measures Survey.
  • The seroprevalence of HBV among the population aged 14 to 79 was 0.4%; another 4.2% had evidence of a previous HBV infection; and nearly 30% had vaccine-induced HBV immunity.
  • The seroprevalence of HCV infection was 0.5%.
  • More than half of people with laboratory-confirmed HBV and 70% with HCV were unaware of their infections.
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