Key Figures

The latest data show that:

• The number of people with chronic hepatitis C in France is declining (estimated at 192,000 people in 2011, or 0.42% of the general population in mainland France).

• For hepatitis B, while the number of newly diagnosed cases is low, nearly 80% of cases were preventable through vaccination and could therefore have been avoided. However, vaccination coverage remains insufficient, particularly among adolescents.

• Screening for hepatitis B and C has increased over time, but it remains insufficiently targeted.

• Men aged 18 to 59 accounted for nearly half of undiagnosed cases in 2014. These findings led to the development, as part of the report on the management of people infected with hepatitis B or C viruses, of a recommendation to offer men in this age group simultaneous HCV, HBV, and HIV screening at least once in their lifetime.

Disease Overview

Hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) viruses are transmitted through contaminated blood, either by direct contact or via a contaminated object. HBV is also transmitted sexually (the primary mode of transmission in France) and from mother to child. Hepatitis B and C represent a major public health problem due to the potential severity of these infections—which can progress to cirrhosis and/or hepatocellular carcinoma—the number of people infected, and the cost of their treatment. New antiviral treatments now allow for the cure of people infected with HCV, which is not yet the case for HBV. France is a country with low endemicity for both HBV and HCV. Globally, the most affected regions are:

• Africa and Central and East Asia for hepatitis C;

• Sub-Saharan Africa and East Asia for hepatitis B.