In 2017, 31 273 cases of hepatitis C were reported in 29 EU/EEA Member States. Excluding countries that only reported acute cases, 31 178 cases corresponds to a crude rate of 7.3 cases per 100 000 population.

Urgent action is required to improve efforts to prevent hepatitis B and C infections in the EU/EEA and the UK if the region is to meet the 2020 targets for the elimination of viral hepatitis as a serious threat to public health. Significant gaps in the reported data in relation to prevalence and prevention of HBV and HCV in EU/EEA and the UK present a major challenge to monitoring progress towards the targets for elimination of hepatitis.

This joint guidance from ECDC and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction provides EU/EEA Member States with evidence-based scientific advice on active case finding options. These options can be applied to the planning and implementation of interventions that promote the early diagnosis of communicable diseases in prison settings.

The findings presented in this report will be part of the process of developing a European guidance for HBV and HCV testing and may provide support EU/EEA countries in the development of national guidelines and in the design and scale-up of testing interventions.

This guidance is intended for policymakers responsible for the planning and delivery of healthcare services in the national or sub-national custodial system and all professionals responsible for the health and well-being of people in prison, including community-based service providers and those facilitating continuity of care in the community.

This document provides EU/EEA Member States with evidence-based scientific advice on available options, when planning and implementing prevention and control interventions for blood-borne viruses in prison settings.

The objective of this report was to systematically review data on prevention and control of BBVs in prison settings, with a focus on the countries of the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA).

ECDC conducted a systematic review of the literature published between 2005–2015, with the aim to estimate the prevalence of hepatitis B and C in the general population and specific population subgroups in the EU/EEA Member States. This review is an update of an earlier review covering the period 2000–2009.