In 2019, 37 733 cases of hepatitis C were reported in 29 EU/EEA Member States. Excluding countries that only reported acute cases leaves 37 660 cases, which corresponds to a crude rate of 8.9 cases per 100 000 population.
In order to monitor progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030 target to combat viral hepatitis, this report provides data on hepatitis B and C prevention, incidence, diagnosis, treatment, cure/viral suppression, and mortality in European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) countries with data collected in 2019.
This report of the EFSA and ECDC presents the results of zoonoses monitoring activities carried out in 2019 in 36 European countries (28 Member States (MS) and eight non-MS).
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.
Shigellosis is a relatively uncommon disease in the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA), but remains of concern in some countries and for some population groups. For 2017, 30 EU/EEA countries reported 6 337 confirmed shigellosis cases.