title: Birth year distribution in reported hepatitis C cases in Switzerland.
abstract: Data of the national hepatitis C virus (HCV) notification system and the Swiss hepatitis C cohort study have been analysed for birth year distribution. Persons born between 1955 and 1974 are disproportionally affected by HCV, accounting for 61% of all reported infections. Over the course of the reporting period from 1988 to 2012, the majority of affected persons were born in the mid-60s and a sharply increasing proportion between 1975 and 1984 (from 0.6 to 19.5%). To enhance the so far insufficient HCV detection rates in Switzerland, additional testing strategies such as birth cohort screening must be further evaluated and discussed.
authors: 1 Arud Centres for Addiction Medicine, Zurich, Switzerland p.bruggmann@arud.ch.
authors: Philip
authors: P
authors: Bruggmann
authors: 2 Federal Office of Public Health, Division of Communicable Diseases, Bern, Switzerland.
authors: Jean-Luc
authors: JL
authors: Richard
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013557:Switzerland / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult