Prevention of hepatitis B and C in the EU/EEA
Viral hepatitis is an infection that causes inflammation of the liver. It can be caused by different viruses, including hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV). Both HBV and HCV can cause acute and chronic infections and are leading causes of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.
Executive summary
Worldwide, the latest estimates indicate that around 296 million people are living with a chronic HBV infection and 58 million people are living with a chronic HCV infection. In the EU and EEA, there has been a decline in the reported number of new transmissions of HBV and HCV, resulting in a reduction in incidence. However, based on an analysis of prevalence estimates published up to 2015, it was estimated that in the EU/EEA there remain approximately 3.6 million people living with chronic HBV infection. Based on recent modelling work to produce national estimates of HCV RNA prevalence it is estimated that there are 2.4 million individuals with chronic HCV.
Despite a reduction in the incidence of HBV and HCV, viral hepatitis remains a leading cause of hepatitis-related mortality. Globally, HBV and HCV cause 1.1 million deaths per year. Based on data from 2015, it is estimated that across the EU/EEA and the United Kingdom, HBV and HCV are responsible for approximately 55% of all liver cancer deaths and 45% of all deaths due to cirrhosis and other chronic liver disease and result in approximately 64 000 deaths annually.
