Hepatitis C - Annual Epidemiological Report for 2015

Hepatitis C is more commonly reported among men than women, with a male-to-female ratio of 1.9 to 1. Just over half (50.8%) of all hepatitis C cases reported in 2015 were aged between 25 and 44 years, and 6.9% of cases were under 25 years of age. The interpretation of hepatitis C 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.