Wiktor S Z
Global Hepatitis Programme, Department of HIV/AIDS, World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva, Switzerland.
J Viral Hepat. 2015 Jul;22(7):571-3. doi: 10.1111/jvh.12400. Epub 2015 Mar 6.
Hepatitis B and C infections are responsible for significant burden of disease accounting for 1.3 million deaths globally. There is a lack of quality data on the burden of disease due to these infections. One approach to informing policy makers on trends in hepatitis B and C is through case reporting of diagnosed cases. Data on these cases can identify outbreaks of hepatitis and monitor trends in acute and chronic infection. The European Centers for Disease Control (ECDC) has developed standardized case definitions and a harmonized reporting framework. Two articles in this issue summarize the trends in hepatitis B and C infection in Europe. The results show considerable variability in reported cases across countries, reflecting in part differences in testing practices. Risk factor information highlights the continued importance of injecting drug use as a risk factor for hepatitis C infection. Hepatitis case reporting provides valuable information, and more complete reporting will improve the utility of the data. For a comprehensive epidemiologic assessment of the burden of hepatitis, case reporting should be complemented by other sources of data, such as serologic and behavioural surveys.
乙型和丙型肝炎感染造成了巨大的疾病负担，全球范围内导致130万人死亡。目前缺乏关于这些感染所致疾病负担的高质量数据。向政策制定者通报乙型和丙型肝炎趋势的一种方法是通过报告确诊病例。这些病例的数据可以识别肝炎疫情，并监测急性和慢性感染的趋势。欧洲疾病预防控制中心（ECDC）制定了标准化的病例定义和统一的报告框架。本期的两篇文章总结了欧洲乙型和丙型肝炎感染的趋势。结果显示各国报告的病例数存在很大差异，部分反映了检测方法的不同。风险因素信息凸显了注射吸毒作为丙型肝炎感染风险因素的持续重要性。肝炎病例报告提供了有价值的信息，更完整的报告将提高数据的效用。为了对肝炎负担进行全面的流行病学评估，病例报告应辅以其他数据来源，如血清学和行为调查。
